Brie Keatley
At 11:30 am on a brisk Wellington Tuesday, the Circa foyer is filled with parents, grandparents, and children. This can only mean one thing - it’s kids show time. This time around it’s the wonderfully goofy All the Things I Wish I Could Be, featuring the lovable dads Tom Knowles and Jed Parsons (as Jeff Parsnips)
For a compact 45 minutes, Circa Two is transformed into an interactive concert where Knowles and Parsons sing and clown for an audience of mostly under fives. This show is many things but the first thing that strikes me is how funny it is. Not just to kids either, my partner and I are surprised at how often we are laughing. Whether it be a joke about not drinking your kids (Parsons has a son called Milo) or advice on getting fired, Knowles and Parsons are a perfect comedic duo for the whole family. I am also extremely impressed at the musicality of the show, which comes as no surprise seeing as both Knowles and Parsons (particularly Parsons as Jeff Parsnips, the award winning children’s musician) both have extensive backgrounds in music as far as I know. Some of the musical moments that struck me the most were Tomato Tamati (a song about a boy who eats tomato sauce on literally everything) and a surprisingly heartfelt song from Knowles about wondering what his daughter will be when she grows up. This one hits particularly hard as his daughter was in the audience with us and I actually found myself getting a little misty eyed. Throughout the show, it is so very obvious that Knowles and Parsons wrote this as a love letter to their own kids and I find that genuinely touching and beautiful.
Often in children’s theatre, when performers try to involve their audience it comes across as quite condescending. It is extremely hard to strike the balance of not taking yourself too seriously while still treating your audience of young ones with respect. I am extremely happy to report that Knowles and Parsons have found that balance in abundance. It is so pleasing to watch these clowns interact with the children in the audience and it’s easy to see that the children love the attention too. Another aspect I really loved was how the two were interacting with the audience in the foyer beforehand, this also included Knowles walking through the audience and chatting with the kids. This does a lot to demystify the idea of a performance to the little ones who have never been before and can find the sudden shift of a person acting differently quite difficult to understand. This demystification is further aided by the show being entirely teched by the performers as well, meaning we see them control their lights and sound. I felt this pulling back of the curtains, so to speak, helped the kids relax more and feel they could engage with Knowles and Parsons and oh boy did they (My favourite interaction was a child yelling ‘UNICORN!’ when asked what she’d like to be when she grew up).
All the Things I Wish I Could Be is a joyful and wholesome wee show that I thoroughly enjoyed from start to finish. It is so refreshing as a children’s reviewer to see the usual play format thrown out the window to give way to a more song and skit focused performance. The kids loved it. I loved it. What more can I say except everyone who loves a good giggle needs to see it!
All the Things I Wish I Could Be is on at Circa Theatre from the 1st to the 12th of July with two performances a day. You can find the times and book tickets here.
Brie is an MFA graduate and Production Manager. They are one of the founders of Inconceivable Productions whose most recent production, HAUSDOWN, was nominated for Best in Fringe 2025. Brie is a big fan of children’s theatre, comedy and puppetry.
Often in children’s theatre, when performers try to involve their audience it comes across as quite condescending. It is extremely hard to strike the balance of not taking yourself too seriously while still treating your audience of young ones with respect. I am extremely happy to report that Knowles and Parsons have found that balance in abundance. It is so pleasing to watch these clowns interact with the children in the audience and it’s easy to see that the children love the attention too. Another aspect I really loved was how the two were interacting with the audience in the foyer beforehand, this also included Knowles walking through the audience and chatting with the kids. This does a lot to demystify the idea of a performance to the little ones who have never been before and can find the sudden shift of a person acting differently quite difficult to understand. This demystification is further aided by the show being entirely teched by the performers as well, meaning we see them control their lights and sound. I felt this pulling back of the curtains, so to speak, helped the kids relax more and feel they could engage with Knowles and Parsons and oh boy did they (My favourite interaction was a child yelling ‘UNICORN!’ when asked what she’d like to be when she grew up).
All the Things I Wish I Could Be is a joyful and wholesome wee show that I thoroughly enjoyed from start to finish. It is so refreshing as a children’s reviewer to see the usual play format thrown out the window to give way to a more song and skit focused performance. The kids loved it. I loved it. What more can I say except everyone who loves a good giggle needs to see it!
All the Things I Wish I Could Be is on at Circa Theatre from the 1st to the 12th of July with two performances a day. You can find the times and book tickets here.
Brie is an MFA graduate and Production Manager. They are one of the founders of Inconceivable Productions whose most recent production, HAUSDOWN, was nominated for Best in Fringe 2025. Brie is a big fan of children’s theatre, comedy and puppetry.