A little white kiwi thinks the moon might be his mother because it is white and bright and round like him. Prepare to snuffle and shuffle through the forest floor, hula with the huhu grubs, watch out for the wekas, and calypso with the handsome kakapo in this charming tale of one little white kiwi’s quest to find his place in an often strange and sometimes dangerous world. Kiwi Moon is Capital E National Theatre for Children’s brand new production of Gavin Bishop’s iconic New Zealand story.
I’m liking
This is a thoughtful and engaging show that my 4 and 6 year olds absolutely loved. At times, they were on the edges of their seats and were thoroughly engaged in the magic of this show. They loved the puppetry of the show and I was also amazed at the way that the actors brought the puppets to life. Every movement ws carefully choreographed and it was astonishing to see the way that the actors worked together to create movement with the puppets… right down to the way that the kiwis quivered in fear.
My six year old was spell-bound by Te Marama (the moon) and her role as the ‘storyteller’ held the story together beautifully.
I’m a big fan of Gavin Bishop’s books and like many of his other stories, Kiwi Moon has a strong interest in conservation and also the effects of progress. I liked the way that these threads were drawn throughout the story.
Things that made me go hmmmm
There were a couple of ‘scary’ moments in this play and my kids are pretty sensitive to tension so found this a bit tough. However, they’re short and there’s nothing graphic or gratuitous to worry about.
The conclusion
Yet another outstanding performance from Capital E. Kiwi Moon has a power and intensity to it that you don’t often find in children’s theatre and it leaves you with many things to talk about with your children afterwards. Highly recommended!
Kiwi Moon is showing at the Hannah Playhouse in Wellington until the 18th of April.
