The all-time best-selling Australian children’s book, Possum Magic, comes to fairy-tale life for the DreamBIG Children’s Festival
Presented by: Monkey Baa Theatre Company
Reviewed: 22 May, 2023
In the light of the large full-moon, the stage is lit in a shadowy blue. The sweeping gum trees that dramatically frame the moon are watercolour-like: rusty pinks and creamy whites. Behind the moon is a large screen, where the changing night sky is projected as two nocturnal possums – Hush and Grandma Poss – let us into their world. Though there is no single illustration quite like this in Mem Fox’s beloved children’s book Possum Magic, the set design for this stage adaption certainly looks like illustrator Julie Vivas’s artwork. It also looks like the kind of place where magic happens.
When a snake enters their night time playground Grandma Poss, played by Sarah Woods, fears for her grand-possum Hush, played by Ebony Tucker. Knowing how to cast spells to change the colour of wombats and the size of emus, Grandma Poss swiftly makes Hush invisible, which not only saves her life but turns out to be great fun. Soon, though, Hush begins to feel that if she can’t be seen, she must not exist, and asks her Grandma to make her visible again. But Grandma Poss doesn’t know how to do it. Thus begins a culinary journey around Australia, because it’s Aussie tucker from all the capitals of our country that eventually saves the day.
With a fun soundtrack to move us forward chronologically and geographically, thanks to Nate Edmondson’s composition, and with Emma Vine’s clever production design that includes puppetry and projected animation, there’s a strong sense of adventure that kids will love. While the crossing of the Bass Strait scene is visually stunning, it’s also full of tension.
For forty years, Possum Magic has delighted children from all parts of the world, though it’s the Australian children who hold it most dear. The production company Monkey Baa, stage adaptor Eva Di Cesare and director Sandie Eldridge workshopped the book with school classrooms, so the play is a true collaboration with kids at the heart. Adam Mada, who’s proved especially effective as the magic and illusion designer, adding flashes, pops and levitations to the show, says that ‘magic isn’t a thing that you see; it’s a thing that you feel’. And that’s exactly what this production leaves you with: a very magical feeling.
Reviewed by Heather Taylor-Johnson
Photo credit: Heidrun Lohr
Venue: Dunstan Playhouse, Adelaide Festival Centre
Season: Saturday 27 May at 10.30am and 1pm
Duration: 55 mins
Tickets: $25
Bookings: https://www.adelaidefestivalcentre.com.au/whats-on/possum-magic
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