Do you want to see a children’s show with impressive scripting, tight acting and ground-breaking staging? Adventures in Neverland isn’t it.
If, however, you want to see a pantomime-style performance of a new chapter in the story of Tinkerbell, involving pirates and Melbourne coffee culture, one that will make your child giggle uproariously and sing along with every lyric, this is potentially a show for you.
This family classic sing-along returns, thanks to the Melbourne Shakespeare Company, and is performed in the stunning St Kilda Botanical Gardens.
Let’s not try to mould into something it’s not; this performance is full of silliness, contradictions, random modern references and, honestly, the storyline makes little genuine sense.
But the actors and musicians are enthusiastic, have great comedic timing and the kids revel in the invitation to scream, sing, dance and otherwise just get fully involved in the performance.
There is some extremely cute use of puppetry, some cheap wins with a few Melbourne versus Sydney gags, a generous smattering of My Kitchen Rules references, a reference to ‘that’ scene 1955’s The Court Jester (“the pellet with the poison’s in the vessel with the pestle”) and even a demand that one of the characters “sashay away”, à la RuPaul’s Drag Race.
The setting is gorgeous, but there’s little shade and no seating, so there’s some degree of planning involved (pack a bag and include sunscreen), but it’s worth it. There’s also a playground nearby so you can relocate for some extended outdoor time, and allow the kids to burn off some of their post-show excitement.
Read: Exhibition review: Yayoi Kusama, NGV International
While tickets to the show are affordable, the MSC has also opted for a ‘pay what you can’ ticket, which in these dire financial times will be gratefully received by cash-strapped parents, especially at this time of the year.
Adventures in Neverland
Melbourne Shakespeare Comapany
St Kilda Botanical Gardens
Tickets: $0-$20
Adventures in Neverland will be performed until 22 December 2024.
