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shows for kids

Tinkerbell and the Dream Fairies

April 22, 2017 / Sydney, Sydney Life, Theatre / 0 comment

“I can see a fairy!” the children scream as a pair of wingers flutter through the trees. We are sitting on a picnic blanket in Sydney’s Royal Botanic Garden waiting for the performance of Tinkerbell and the Dream Fairies: Adventure to Bubble Land to begin. The stage is the lawn in front of us, a fitting location for a production about the adventures of fairies.

The fairies flutter to the “stage” and the show kicks off with catchy songs sung by gorgeously costumed and very talented fairies. The children are captivated seeing their dreams come to life before them – real fairies in a real garden! The adults relax and enjoy their children’s joy.

This is a “theatre” where there’s no need to hush your little one or beg them to sit still in a seat. Dancing is allowed, interaction encouraged. This production is a dream come true not just for kids but for their parents, too. With age appropriate content, gentle music and a relaxed environment, this is a show for families to truly enjoy themselves.

Tinkerbell and the Dream Fairies: Adventure to Bubble Land arrived in Sydney for the Easter holidays fresh from a sell out tour in London’s Kew Garden. Created by the award winning artistic director of the Australian Shakespeare Company, Glenn Elston, Tinkerbell and the Dream Fairies was imagined especially for a young audience after years of experience creating theatre in magical garden settings.

The storyline for the show is simple: the adventurous Tinkerbell happens upon the fairies from A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Travelling from the Dream Land, the cheeky Mustardseed, fluttery Moth, daring Cobweb and sweet Peasblossom all go on a magical quest with Tinkerbell to find her wings, learning about the different worlds they are from along the way.

Plenty of upbeat songs and dances pepper the show, with simple actions the young audience are able to follow. The fairies from A Midsummer Night’s Dream drop in and out of Shakespearean language which lends a poetic tone to the dialogue, but amazingly in a way that the children were still able to understand and be engaged by what was going on in front of them. I would call this a young child’s first introduction to Shakespeare!

There is no set seating for this performance, just a large space to throw down a picnic blanket to enjoy the show. After about half an hour of singing and dancing, the fairies encourage the children to join them on a seperate part of the lawn where bubble machines are set up.

There is much bubble-popping and dancing by the children, followed by forming small groups to assist the fairies in their quest to find Tinkerbell’s wings. How lovely for kids to join in the action rather than being forced to sit for an entire performance! It was not at all surprising to read afterwards that the show was developed with early learning experts to ensure it truly engages and inspires young minds and bodies.

After the show the fairies returned to meet their fans and have a photo opp. These talented young performers gave an enchanting performance that many of these children will remember for a long time to come.

Tinkerbell and the Dream Fairies: Adventure to Bubble Land
The Royal Botanic Garden, Sydney
Dates: Sunday 9 to Sunday 30 April
Times: 10am & 12.30pm (No Shows Good Friday/Easter Monday)
No Shows (Monday 24 – Friday 28 April)
Prices: $25 for weekday/Sunday performances; $30 Saturdays
Group price 4 tickets $90 weekday/Sundays & Saturday $110
Bookings: shakespeareaustralia.com.au and ticketmaster.com.au
Cash and card sales available at the on-site box office unless sold
out, box office opens one hour prior to each performance.

We were provided with tickets for reviewing purposes. All opinions my own. Additional images courtesy of Shakespeareaustralia.com.au.

Sydney’s Best Shows For Kids: Erth’s Dinosaur Zoo

September 28, 2016 / Sydney, Sydney Life, Theatre / 0 comment

Take a walk on the wild side with a show 65 million years in the making. Dinosaurs once again roam the world thanks to the magic that is Erth’s Dinosaur Zoo.

During this educational and entertaining show, kids have the opportunity to get up close to prehistoric creatures that have been discovered in Australia such as the Australovenator, AKA the cute baby dinos that make the crowd go “Awwwww” and the Meganeura, an insect from the Carboniferous period (approximately 300 million years ago), which looked like a mammoth dragonfly.

Scientific facts fly hard and fast during the show, and the audience has to think fast to keep up. Dinosaur devotees will be thrilled to learn about these lesser-known Aussie dinos, in the most entertaining way possible – through first-hand experience.

The real genius of Erth’s Dinosaur is creative way in which they blend fun and fact. Give a kid a lecture on dinosaur history and they’ll probably doze off. Give them a dinosaur to pat on the head, and they’ll be entranced for hours.

And it’s not just the kids who can’t take their eyes off the dinosaurs. Watching these incredibly realistic creatures walk around the stage is an entertaining experience for the adults, too.

With its mix of kid jokes and adult humour, audience participation and a deliciously scary moment or two, it’s hard to tell who enjoyed the show more – the kids or their parents. It’s easy to see why Erth’s Dinosaur Zoo is a hit of sauropod proportions.

More Information:

Erth’s Dinosaur Zoo is recommend for ages 5 and up. I would heartily agree with this recommendation due to language (lots of big words that littlies won’t understand) and also a truly terrifying carnivore.

Stick around after the show to enjoy the free activities for kids offered by The Seymour Centre, including The Owls Apprentice by Little Wings Puppets, a beautiful show combining shadow puppetry, hand puppetry and storytelling, Polyglot Theatre’s Forest Feast, where children will create a feast of food from craft items, and Ants, an interactive roving performance where human-sized ants and children work together in a gentle and unusual landscaping project.

Catch Erth’s Dinosaur Zoo at the Seymour Centre
Dates: 27, 28, 29, 30 Sept and 1 Oct, two shows a day: 10.30am and 12.30pm
Prices: All tickets $22 available via Box Office (02) 9351 7940 or http://www.seymourcentre.com
Address: The Seymour Centre – Corner of City Rd and Cleveland St, Chippendale
Full School Holidays Program: http://www.seymourcentre.com.au

I received tickets to Erth’s Dinosaur Zoo for reviewing purposes. I absolutely loved the show and all opinions written here are my honest feedback.

More things to do in Sydney

Find a list of the best things to do in Sydney with kids here.

Find things to do in Sydney for free here.

Get a list of the best kid-friendly beaches in Sydney.

Find the best animal experiences in Sydney here.

Visit the best kid-friendly restaurants in Sydney here.

Find the best high teas in Sydney here.

Head to one of the best museums in Sydney here.

Check out things to do in Sydney on a rainy day here.

Enjoy one of the best ocean pools in Sydney here.

First time visiting Sydney? Get tips for first time visitors to Sydney here.

Ice Age Live! A Mammoth Adventure

April 17, 2016 / Sydney, Sydney Life, Theatre / 2 Comments

Hubby and I have been big fans of the Ice Age movies for a long time, so when I saw Ice Age Live! A Mammoth Adventure was coming to town, I was pretty excited at the chance to see characters I love come to life on ice.

It was also an opportunity to introduce young Cheese to the show as she has been too young thus far to watch the movies (mainly because she is a very sensitive soul).

Ice Age Live: A Mammoth Adventure tells the story of the latest batch of Ice Age characters from the movie, including Manny (Cheese’s favourite), and Peaches, the new baby. Without giving the story away too much, I really enjoyed how simple the storyline was. Peaches gets kidnapped by a scary bird, Shadow (Cheese kept calling him “The Boss”), and the rest of the gang need to bring Peaches home.

The simple storyline meant that little kids could easily follow what was happening, leaving them enraptured in the spectacular costumes, puppets and areal acrobatics.

I was incredibly impressed with how well the movies translated to a show on ice, which I think was mostly due to the superb designs by co-director Michael Curry, who has worked on Cirque du Soleil, Walt Disney’s The Lion King. The puppetry was extremely well done, with the characters making very life-like movements, blinking, lip-syncing, as well as skating. It looked like hard work!

When I saw the large characters lumbering out onto the ice, I did wonder if the people inside them were going to do much skating, so I was thrilled when I saw them emerge from the suits, still in character, to engage in breathtaking acrobatics. It was a really clever way of ensuring the people inside the suits had a chance of showing their exceptional skills off as well as portraying these huge creatures in their amazing puppets.

I also enjoyed the set design. The ice stalactites on the roof glowed with various colours, and a video screen integrated into the back set really enhanced the feeling of moving over vast distances as the group travelled on their big adventure.

Cheese, who is 4.5, loved the show. She is extremely sensitive to anything “scary” and was a little bit worried when Peaches was stolen, but she very quickly relaxed when she began to understand that nothing bad was going to happen to any of the characters. There was so much light, joyful music and a celebratory tone to the show that she was swept up in the mood and when it ended, said “Is it over? That was fast!”. The show went for almost two hours including interval, so I think that’s incredibly good, for a show to be so long and leave a preschooler with a short attention span wanting more.

If you or your family enjoy Ice Age, or if you’re wanting to introduce your little ones to the characters, this is the show for you. We highly enjoyed Ice Age Live: A Mammoth Adventure.

The show is currently touring around Australia – next stop is Perth! Check here for tickets.

Thank you so much to Ice Age Life: A Mammoth Adventure for hosting us. All opinions are, as always, my own.

Sydney’s Best Shows For Kids: The 52-Storey Treehouse

January 13, 2016 / Sydney, Sydney Life, Theatre / 0 comment

We are newcomers to the Treehouse stories, having not read the books yet. Cheese is too young, and they came out after I was a tween, so they’ve been hovering on the edge of my awareness for the past year, but I didn’t know much about the books – or the show. I actually really love not knowing what to expect when I go to see a show – it makes the whole experience free of expectations, and I can appreciate the show as a stand alone text.

From what I’ve heard from other people who have seen the show and read the books, The 52-Storey Treehouse live manages the almost impossible – to entertain newcomers to the series, as well as giving faithful readers of the books a new take on a familiar subject. That alone is incredibly hard to achieve, so kudos to writer Richard Tulloch and director Liesel Badorrek for the fabulous job they’ve done with Andy Griffiths’ and Terry Denton’s book, The 52-Storey Treehouse.

This is the show’s second run at the Sydney Opera House, returning once again following a sell-out season last year.

In this intensely entertaining, clever and smart show, Andy and Terry take the audience on a rollicking adventure through a fantastical story where ninja snails and enchanted carrots are the norm.

The cleverly created 52-storey treehouse is a very smart theatrical device that evolves throughout the show to represent the treehouse, a mountain, a castle, and a dungeon. With props such as the Disguise-O-Matic 5000 and The Flying Frying Egg Car, you just know that watching this show (or reading the book!) is going to set a child’s imagination on fire.

I appreciated the show just as much as Cheese thanks to some themes that were designed to resonate with adults, as well as enjoying the very talented performers – Drew Livingston and James Elliot are wonderful as Terry and Andy, with Jonny Nasser and Sophie Kesteven tackling several supporting roles in quick succession.

The 52-Storey Treehouse is a witty, fun show that adults and kids will equally enjoy. Go see it, then, if you’re like us, buy the book and start the story from the very beginning.

The 52-Storey Treehouse
Suitable for children 6+
Tickets: $39 – $55
Dates: 3 January 2016 – 25 January 2016

Thank you to the Sydney Opera House for hosting us. All opinions are my own.

More things to do in Sydney

Find a list of the best things to do in Sydney with kids here.

Find things to do in Sydney for free here.

Get a list of the best kid-friendly beaches in Sydney.

Find the best animal experiences in Sydney here.

Visit the best kid-friendly restaurants in Sydney here.

Find the best high teas in Sydney here.

Head to one of the best museums in Sydney here.

Check out things to do in Sydney on a rainy day here.

Enjoy one of the best ocean pools in Sydney here.

First time visiting Sydney? Get tips for first time visitors to Sydney here.

Babies Proms at the Sydney Opera House

December 21, 2015 / Sydney, Sydney Life, Theatre / 0 comment

Cheese and I love the Babies Proms held several times a year at the the Sydney Opera House. Babies Proms are aimed at children aged two to five, perfect for their first live music experience. The Sydney Opera House has been running the interactive and engaging Babies Proms for over 30 years, so they’ve had plenty of time to fine tune what is now a tradition for many Sydney families.

We have just seen our final Babies Prom of the year, Babies Proms: Jingle Bell Jazz. The show was a fabulous mix of classic Christmas songs, with a jazz and calypso twist. Let by Australian stage and screen star, Valerie Bader, kids sang and danced their way through Christmas classics such as Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, We Wish You a Merry Christmas and Jingle Bells.

If you’re considering booking a Babies Prom for 2016, their new schedule is up now (I’m booking Music for Tutus for us!).

I’ve put together a few points to help families making their way to their very first Babies Prom.

Get there early
The show is general admission. Kids sit on the floor in the middle of the room on a carpet and adults sit in the chairs around the sides. To get seats closest to the carpet (to keep an eye on rouge kids!) people start lining up often 30 mins before the show begins.

Know where you’re going
The Babies Proms are held in the Studio, which is on the side of the Opera House, not in the big theatres in the sails. You can catch the elevator to this level or walk around the concourse straight into the side doors of the Opera House to get there.

Parking at the Opera House
The cheapest parking is on weekends, where you can book a bay online beforehand and pay $10 for the entire day. If you’re seeing a show on a week day, parking costs a lot more, so consider the train!

Public transport
I often catch the train and walk to the Opera House. Circular Quay has elevators, as does the Sydney Opera House, so it’s all very stroller-friendly.

Stroller-check
You can bring a stroller of any size and leave it in the foyer outside the theatre with all the other strollers.

Bring a camera
While there is no photography allowed during the Babies Prom shows, after the performance has ended kids can go up to the musicians or actors, try their instruments and have a photo taken. Lighting is dim however, so bring a camera with a flash.

Meal time
The snack bar outside the Studio used to sell wonderful kids packs for $7, but this month they haven’t had them anymore, sadly. The only food choices are currently big adult sandwiches or chips, so either bring your own food or arrive early for breakfast/lunch at Opera Kitchen (kids meals around $15 each).

Keep a close eye on kids
Some shows sell out and get very busy. When the show ends it can be a bit chaotic as kids return to their parents and line up for photos with the cast. It’s very easy for kids to get lost.

Dress festive
Kids can wear whatever they like, but it’s fun to get into the mood of whatever the theme of the show is. At the Jingle Bell Jazz show, for example, there were lots of kids in Christmas gear, and a few even dressed up as Chrissie elves.

The Secret Life of Suitcases: Sydney’s Best Shows For Kids

September 29, 2015 / Sydney, Sydney Life, Theatre / 0 comment

It’s not school holidays without some amazing kids theatre to be seen. Today we had a fabulous time seeing The Secret Life of Suitcases, a show by the Monkey Baa Theatre Company.

I haven’t been to a show by Monkey Baa before – I was pleasantly surprised to discover this theatre company for kids is housed in The Lend Lease Darling Quarter Theatre, directly opposite the children’s playground in the Darling Quarter Precinct. The theatre is purpose built for young audiences, with activities in the foyer pre and post shows (we had options to dress up, colour in or read books), parking for prams and plenty of family friendly eating venues nearby.

Back to the show we came to see: The Secret Life of Suitcases tells the story of a puppet named Larry who like being “busy” at his office job. He is content in his business until a tiny suitcase arrives, on a mission to open his eyes to the life he is missing out on.

The suitcase takes Larry on a fantastical adventure and right back home again – where he has the choice to go back to life as it was, or to step away from his all-consuming business and join society.

It’s a message that is beneficial for both adults and children to come away with – how often do we “busy” ourselves with the internet and our phones, in particular, missing out on conversations, special moments and opportunities?

I say yes to stepping away from being “busy” for the sake of it and grabbing life before it passes us by, too. This enchanting, delightful show will appeal to children and adults alike – it will also encourage you to put down your phone for the rest of the day when you leave.

The Secret Life of Suitcases is produced by the Monkey Baa Theatre Company.
Dates: Daily 28th September – 2nd October
Times: 11am & 1pm
Venue: Lend Lease Darling Quarter Theatre (across from the Children’s Playground in Darling Harbour)
Prices: $25pp / $90 Family 4 / $110 Family 5
Call: 02 8624 9340

Thank you to the Monkey Baa Theatre Company for hosting us – all opinions and extremely enthusiastic fairy child are my own.

More things to do in Sydney

Find a list of the best things to do in Sydney with kids here.

Find things to do in Sydney for free here.

Get a list of the best kid-friendly beaches in Sydney.

Find the best animal experiences in Sydney here.

Visit the best kid-friendly restaurants in Sydney here.

Find the best high teas in Sydney here.

Head to one of the best museums in Sydney here.

Check out things to do in Sydney on a rainy day here.

Enjoy one of the best ocean pools in Sydney here.

First time visiting Sydney? Get tips for first time visitors to Sydney here.

Ballerina Swan: Anyone Can Dance

November 14, 2013 / Cheese, Kids, New York Life / 0 comment

With the weather turning to bitter cold again, I was so excited to have the opportunity to check out another kids theatre show with Cheese. After our success with Wanda’s Monster, I was really eager to take her to another show. This time, the show was called Ballerina Swan, produced by Making Books Sing (who also produced Wanda’s Monster).

#ballerinaswan

The theatre/dance performance was based on a book, also called Ballerina Swan, by Allegra Kent – a former NYC Ballet ballerina of 30 years. So yes, she is certainly qualified to be writing ballet books. We were privileged to meet Ms Kent before the performance. While her performing days are over, she still bears the look and poise of a life of ballet.

I love ballet. Love, love, love ballet, since I was about age three, according to my parents. Story goes I begged for lessons for two years until they gave in. I’m thankful for that, as it’s been a life-long love of mine, and one that I am now beyond thrilled to be able to share with Cheese. Lately she’s been asking to go to dance class, and has been mimicking the little ballet dancers she sees going into class at NY Kids Club. With this in mind, I thought this was the perfect show for us to be seeing.

Ballerina Swan tells the story of Sophie, a swan who wants to be a ballerina. She watches dancers in class and tried to join in, only to be derided and chased away by the teacher. Once another, more liberal-minded, teacher takes over the class, Sophie is welcomed with open arms (or wings?) by the children, who admire her for her strengths (great neck movements), and help her with the areas that need more work (it’s hard to accomplish turn out with webbed feet!).

Becoming a dancer is hard work, and Sophie gets frustrated with her slow progress. Her fellow dancers urge her to keep trying and practicing, reminding her that it takes dedication to become a dancer. A good lesson for kids, by the way, since it’s a life lesson for anything they will want to attempt.

Sophie works hard and, over time, becomes the dancer she dreams of being. The dual messages of hard work paying off and of accepting those who are different to us are woven into the beautiful scenes of talented ballet dancers.

The show will appeal mostly to girls (there were a few boys who were protesting having to watch a ballet show), who love all things tulle and tutu. Yes there were a few little girls actually attending the show in tutus … At 50 minutes it was a good length – the story flew (sorry, couldn’t help myself) along quickly, with no lagging moments – critical for keeping the attention of small children. The show is also interactive. There is a really fun moment where the dancers ask the audience to dance. I thought Cheese might be too young, but no, she hopped up and copied the dancers’ port de bras, turns and tendus. It literally brought a tear to my eye to see her first actual dance moves.

#ballerinaswan

Cheese insisted on sitting solo during the show (she also enjoyed folding herself up into the seat over and over and over again …).

#ballerinaswan

After the show we met the cast. Despite looking quite sour in this picture, Cheese actually was brave enough to give Sophie a pat and was excited to meet her.

Ballerina Swan runs from November 9 – 24th, 2013.
Wed-Fri 10:30am, Sat & Sun 11am & 2pm
Tickets $25
Best for ages 3-8
Buy tickets by calling 646-250-1178 or online at makingbookssing.org.
Save 10% on tickets by using the code “POSTCARD”
After every weekend performance, stick around for a 20-minute meet-and-greet with the cast.

Images of the show by Carol Rosegg

I was not compensated for this post. I was given preview tickets for reviewing purposes. All opinions are my own.

Wanda’s Monster: From Fiend To Friend

July 15, 2013 / Cheese, Kids, New York Life / 1 Comment

Today was a landmark day for us – we took Cheese to her first musical, at age 22 months. The show was Wanda’s Monster, a really cute off-Broadway show, perfect for kids aged two to 10. We weren’t sure if it was a good idea to take Cheese seeing as she’s such a wiggle monster that we can’t even take her to a 30 minute music class anymore, but I really wanted to see how she enjoyed watching a real show.

Wanda’s Monster, in its essence, is about a girl called Wanda who discovers a monster living in her closet. At first she is scared of the monster, then, after receiving some advice from her super-hip grandmother, pushes through her fear to get to know him, gaining a new friend in the process. While the story is very simple (hey, it’s a kids’ musical after all!), the underlying messages of tolerance and acceptance are important lessons for us to learn (and be reminded of) at any age.

We sat in the back row in anticipation of needing to bolt after 10 minutes or less, and were stunned that we made it through the entire show, without a single wiggle. Cheese loved Wanda and the monster – asking for Wanda every time she left the stage, and pointing to the monster and saying with conviction “Mon! Mon!” (she hasn’t quite mastered multi-syllable words yet).

After the show we met the cast. Cheese was too shy to pat the monster or high-five Wanda. As we left she stopped to wave to the cast, yelling “Bye bye Mon!”. A new musical (and monster) fan is born.

Wanda’s Monster is playing July 13 – September 8, 2013, at Vineyard’s Dimson Theatre, Union Square. At 50 minutes (no interval) it’s the perfect length to try for your kid’s first show, or to take older kids who enjoy monsters. A few of the older toddlers were scared of the monster (Cheese knowingly said “Baby” when one such toddler wailed and needed to be removed from the theater), but by the end all the kids were dancing in their seats and shouting out “Rooaaarrrrrrr!”.

Buy tickets here. Use the code MBSAVE to score a 25% discount on full-pried tickets.

I was not compensated for this blog post. While I was invited to attend a special bloggers’ preview of the show, all opinions are my own. The show rocked. Take your kids, you’ll all have a blast.