The Koala Who Could, The Lowry, Salford

Music/Lyrics: Eamonn O’Dwyer

Writer: Rachel Bright

Adaptor/Director: Emma Earle

‘In a wonderful place at the breaking of dawn, Where the breezes were soft and the sunshine was warm…’ the stage is set ready to welcome in a young and excitable audience to experience their favourite bedtime story for real! Well ok, so the production of ‘The Koala who could,’ doesn’t actually run at the breaking of dawn! But the set and design by Oli Townsend really does make the theatre a wonderful place, as it mirrors the beautifully illustrated children’s book, by Jim Field, perfectly; equipped with an enchanting blue flowing water fall, striped canons and a blazing sun surely only found down under in the outback.

The much loved children’s book ‘The Koala who could,’ by Rachel bright follows a rather adorable Koala called Kevin (who said the name Kevin was in decline!) Despite being cute and clearly loved by all of his friends, he is so full of worry and fear that he never leaves his tree, not even to play! Until he is forced to change his ways, as a wood pecker attacks his home and leaves him tumbling to the ground. Although his bravery is some what forced upon him, once down he embraces his new found freedom and courage.

Earle and O’Dwyer’s adaptaion follows the book well, with the addition of outback explorers who double up as the narrators which really helps set the scene and land us down under. A most notable addition to the tale was Kevin’s worrying nightmare of all the ‘What ifs’ he could encounter should he leave his tree! This was a great visual sequence and really resonated with my young reviewer who can often jump to the ‘What if’s’ and not the ‘Can dos!’

A highlight of the production was the puppet design and direction by Chuck Brown and Max Humphries, with all of the animals brought to life in an identical manner to the illustrations! However with such fantastic puppets, especially Kevin himself, it did feel a bit clunky to mix the animals portrayal by using the actors in costume and the puppets themselves. This transition at times also left the tree empty and Kevinless! It was a shame the puppet or 2D version of Kevin did not return to the tree, so the children could not see him as an observer of the world below. It may also have been a greater moment to be able to witness the fall of Kevin as the climax of the story, but we were left in the dark with a momentary black out as the actors set up the fallen tree.

Although some sections felt a little wordy for the youngest members of the audience, there are lots of moments for the grown ups to enjoy too, which is always welcomed! And the audience is made to feel very much apart of the adventure with interactions throughout.

Overall this is a really lovely and gentle show, with a clear and important message for a young audience. It was uplifting to watch and inspired my little reviewer and I to go back to the book, and also opened up opportunities to discuss how we can be more Can do and not What if; because life can be GREAT when you try something NEW!

Runs on tour until September 2025