Many magic moments

DIARY OF A WOMBAT by Monkey Baa Theatre Company

AROUND THE WORLD IN EIGHTY DAYS by Ellis Productions

Theatre Royal, Hobart August 18-23 THERE were two family offerings at the Theatre Royal recently — one for the littlies, the other for everyone.

Diary of a Wombat is a multi-award-winning picture book loved by children worldwide. This Monkey Baa stage adaptation is scrupulously faithful to the visual world of the original.

“How are they going to do the rain?” my young neighbour asked during the show, and her father replied, “That’s the magic of theatre!”

The rain, when it arrived, was not really that magical, but much in this creative and skilful show did surprise and delight.

It provided many laugh-out-loud moments for the enjoyment of adults and children alike. Furry-animal puppetry may be a bit oldfashioned, but this production, with its live musicians, excellent cast and sophisticated staging, felt crisp and modern.

Another book adaptation for older audiences was Around the World in Eighty Days.

Thirty-nine characters are played by just three actors, who move very fast.

Ian Stenlake is a Phileaus Fogg, the optimistic expeditioner, and a dashing figure he cuts too.

Pia Miranda is outstandingly delightful as his sidekick, Passepartout, while Grant Piro plays a host of characters of diverse genders, races and levels of improbability.

As good as the production is, it does leave one wanting more.

It trots at a jaunty pace, but it never really flies. Faster, crazier, sillier is needed — a dash more of “the magic of theatre”.

— ROBERT JARMAN