The Theatre

Last night we went to a stage show at the Regal Theatre in Subiaco. The Regal is an old movie theatre and still has the old ticket booth with sand-blasted etching of ticket prices on the glass. Upstairs there is the old projector on display.

The show is a musical; a rather long stage adaptation of May Gibbs’ Snugglepot and Cuddlepie. It was two-and-a-half hours long with a 30 minute intermission. The Gibbs’ characters were there, but they took on upbeat roles with lots of puns about current topics thrown in. It is obviously not a kids’ show. It is hard for anyone to get me to a theatre, but I went along prepared to enjoy the show.

Let me see if I can give you a synopsis of the show in 92 words……Snake woman wants to kill the Gum trees and therefore the gumnuts and blossoms by getting the banksia men to grab them and tie them up in hessian and drown them in the water. She is cranky with gum trees because kookaburras live in them and a kookaburra took her husband. The nuts convince the banksia men that the kookaburras will then live in the banksia trees and then the snake woman will want to kill the banksia trees. After a lot more songs and dancing about, everyone gets less violent and all end up mates.

I judge such outings by the urge to check my watch during a performance and I did check my watch a few times during the performance. Lots of singing, dancing, costumes, stage props and good lighting. Three stars from me. Three and a half stars from Joan.

Before the show we parked in a carpark near the theatre @ $8., had a meal at the markets and moved on to the show. Home by 10.30.