• theatre
  • features
  • faqs
  • contact
  • theatre
  • features
  • faqs
  • contact
  Art Murmurs - Wellington Reviews

Reviews

The Adventures of Tahi and Kōwhai

11/7/2023

Comments

 

Brie Keatley

Picture
If you are a parent looking to entertain both yourself and your child in the last week of the school holidays, have I got the show for you. The Adventures of Tahi and Kōwhai is the latest play by children’s theatre company, Little Dog Barking, and acts as a prequel to their previous work in 2021, The White Tree. The show follows the titular Tahi and Kōwhai, two adorable hoiho, as they fall in love and begin their lives together. Whimsically delightful, and filled to the brim with humour and charming puppets, The Adventures of Tahi and Kōwhai is another hit for Little Dog Barking.

​The show opens with performers, Kenny King and Jeremy Hunt, introducing themselves to the audience, followed by a song. While Hunt plays the ukulele, King integrates New Zealand Sign Language into the subtle choreography. This is used throughout the performance, often when one of the performers is narrating or introducing a new character or location. The use of sign language and the casual integration of te reo Maōri is a wonderful triumph for inclusivity in children’s theatre. We often, as theatre makers, overlook how important it is to get children interested in theatre as early as possible; creating a space where they are not only welcomed but represented is a great leap towards bridging that gap. I applaud Jacqui Coats, the director and writer, for implementing this effortlessly.


I must preface this next section; I am a major puppet nerd. Both in enjoyment and also building my own. I was in giggles of delight watching the gorgeous patchwork nature of the puppets, designed by Sue Hill, Sharon Johnstone and interns from Toi Whakaari, Erin Belcher and Nika Beaton. It was actually a tough competition as to who enjoyed the puppets more - me or the children. Of particular note was the gorgeous hoiho. Their gangly legs and malleable bodies often lead to some of the best comedic timing I have seen in any theatre show. The puppet switching between Hunt and King was also genuinely seamless. This is one of the hardest skills to nail in live puppetry so I must give kudos to these two puppet masters. Also - you know you’re watching good puppetry when a performer is able to bring a sheet of plastic to life!

As someone who studied children’s theatre, it is so refreshing to see a show that treats the tamariki in the audience as intelligent theatre consumers. This is something that The Adventures of Tahi and Kōwhai does to great effect. While there is an underlying message of caring for our native birds and being more considerate towards their habitat, at its core, the show is about love. Everyone deserves to feel loved and have a special someone who loves them, both romantically and platonically. This was expressed particularly well in the “Tahi Song”. The mixture of Coats’ heartfelt lyrics and composer Liam Reid’s score had me genuinely moved at multiple points in the show.

The Adventures of Tahi and Kōwhai is a heartwarming piece of children’s theatre that can be enjoyed by the whole family. I implore anyone who’s in need of a good chuckle and some warm fuzzies to go and see this lovely piece at Circa Theatre. 

The Adventures of Tahi and Kōwhai is on at Circa Theatre until Friday the 20th of July.

Disclaimer: I interned with Little Dog Barking on The White Tree in 2021. I have attempted to remain objective in my review but please feel free to comment if you feel otherwise.
Comments

    Local Honest Reviews

    At Art Murmurs, our aim is to provide honest and constructive art reviews to the Wellington community.

    Archives

    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    September 2021
    July 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    June 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015

    Categories

    All
    All Age Appropriate
    Art
    BATS
    Beauty Standards
    Black Comedy
    Body Positive
    Circa
    Circus
    Comedy
    Comedy Festival 2018
    Comedy Festival 2019
    Comedy Festival 2023
    Comedy Gala 2022
    Community Theatre
    Dance
    Devised
    Documentary
    Drag
    Drama
    Emerging Artist
    Exhibition
    Experimental
    Female Artists
    Feminism
    Feminist
    Festival
    For Kids
    Fringe
    Fun
    Gallery
    Gryphon Theatre
    Hannah Playhouse
    Heart + Music
    History
    Improv
    Interactive
    International
    Interview
    Ivy
    Lighting
    Local
    Mental Health
    Monologue
    Music
    Musical
    Neurodiverse
    New Writing
    New Zealand
    NZ Comedy
    NZ Fringe
    NZIF
    On Tour
    Performance Poetry
    Photography
    Photospace Gallery
    Physical Theatre
    Political
    Politics
    Premiere
    Pyramid Club
    Queer
    Race
    Roxy LIVE
    Science
    Scruffy Bunny Improv Theatre
    Sexual Violence
    Shakespeare
    Site Specific
    Site-specific
    Sketch
    Solo Show
    Song
    Spoken Word
    Stagecraft
    Stand Up
    Storytelling
    Tahi Festival
    Te Auaha
    Theatre
    Thought Provoking
    Thought-provoking
    Thriller
    Toi Poneke Gallery
    Verbatim
    Victoria University
    Violence
    Virtual Theatre
    Weekly
    Wellington
    Wellington Footlights
    Wellington Repertory