It may be that Melbourne’s recent run of exceptional children’s theatre has left us spoiled, but this production of Josephine Wants to Dance – based on the iconic book by Jackie French and Bruce Whatley – felt like a ballet with no bounce.
It started out with boatloads of promise and eruptions of audience giggles at the suitably elegant, snappy brolgas, as Josephine, a kangaroo, set off on her quest to dance.
But things began to get a little shaky with some sound issues that started to rub off the gloss and persisted until they finally seemed resolved at the end of that act.
The lyrebirds were next up, and more problems manifested – singing over each other and dancing out of sync, for a start. Certainly, there were glimpses of potential; for example, when the lyrebirds mimicked a whippersnapper and a mobile phone. But once the spell of theatre is broken, it’s incredibly difficult to get back, even with all the bells and whistles, like the lyrebirds’ gorgeous sparkly costumes, which certainly cemented their place as the Las Vegas showgirls of the avian world.
A hip-hop song was hugely popular with the kids, as were some of the breakdancing moves cracked open by a feisty kangaroo. One couldn’t help but think we have Raygun to thank for that.
The age recommendation was four years old onwards, but sometimes the dialogue was a little too advanced for the four- to six-year-old age bracket and sailed right on over their heads. That would have been fine, if it had potentially appealed to the adults, but it didn’t.
The audience wasn’t particularly engaged and, by the three-quarter mark, some of the kids had, for the most part, tuned out and were chatting or getting very fidgety.
Read: Exhibition review: Bandarr Wirrpanda and Yinimala Gumana: Timeless, MAGMA Galleries
The old adage claims that something can be “greater than the sum of its parts”, but this show was quite the opposite.
Josephine Wants to Dance, Arts Centre Melbourne
Based on the book by Jackie French and Bruce Whatley
Adaptors: Eva Di Cesare, Sandra Eldridge and Tim McGarry
Director: Jonathan Biggins
Composer/Lyricist: Phil Scott
Choreographer: Tim Harbour
Production Designer: James Browne
Lighting Designer: Emma Lockhart-Wilson
Sound Designer: David Bergman
Musical Director: Michael Tyack
Remount Lighting Designer: Veronique Benett
Costume Cutter: Marianne Close
Performers: Lily Baulderstone, Nina Carmen, Hannah Gwatkin, Brodie Masini
Josephine Wants to Dance was performed 2-5 October 2024.
