From the book by Rachel Bright and Jim Field
Adaptor and Director: Emma Earle
Music and Lyrics: Eamonn O’Dwyer
The Koala who Could is a pretty straightforward adaptation of Rachel Bright and Jim Field’s illustrated story which means that Oli Townsend’s designs charm us with their simple magic. Two additions add greatly to the appeal of the stage production: Eamonn O’Dwyer’s music, with four catchy songs and some neat underscoring, and – best of all – Yvonne Stone’s puppetry. This combines cleverly with Townsend’s designs: for instance Kevin (nice name for a koala) exists as a puppet and is also played by Christopher Finn (with ears!) while the eucalyptus tree that is his home appears in many different shapes and sizes.
The play begins with an addition: three intrepid explorers in the Australian Outback (Finn, Danny Hendrix and Sarah Palmer) seeking out exotic species. They’re fun, striking attitudes, singing a jolly song, doing a little dance, and introducing us to Kevin, asleep in a eucalyptus tree. After they’ve assembled his tree and been introduced to the contents of his house, the animals tend to take over, though the explorers crop up from time to time.
The story of Kevin is well suited to Nicoll Entertainment’s target audience of 3-plus. Kevin is afraid of the world outside and, more than that, likes to spend his time sleeping. His friend the wombat (Hendrix – very cheerful, very sporty) suggests he should join them in their games, but Kevin refuses. Eventually a woodpecker makes up his mind for him by destroying his home. Kevin joins his friends with the realisation “Yes, I can!”. The moral is, “Don’t be afraid to try something new.”
Emma Earle directs her own adaptation with wit and a sense of mischief, presenting a whole range of animals as puppets or played by humans: the Bush Rush Hour alone introduces the children to such beasts as dingos, kookaburras, snakes and crocodiles. Palmer crops up as a cassowary and Finn has a break from Kevin as a kangaroo, complete with little one in the pouch. And the woodpecker makes a horribly convincing noise!
Finn, Hendrix and Palmer achieve wonders by way of changes of character (and, especially, mimicking the animals’ movements) and the 55 minutes holds the attention.
The play is colourful and funny, with Kevin a sleepy anti-hero who comes good in the end. The only doubt would be whether there’s enough audience participation for the youngsters. On the few occasions it was necessary to advance the plot, the actors had to work hard to get a reaction. Maybe, if the audience was more accustomed to it…
Runs until 5th July 2025, before continuing on tour
