On the way to the Regent Theatre to see Winnie the Pooh with my 6-year old daughter in tow, we discuss what we know about the titular bear’s adventures. Have you read any of the stories? -Yes, Dad, silly. We’ve got heaps of their stories. Who’s your favourite character? – Eeyore. Do you think Christopher Robin will be in it? – Who’s Christopher Robin? 

Once arrived, we go through the rites of the candy bar and then settle happily into our seats, herself with a chocolate ice cream and lemonade, myself with a Jack Daniels and Coke. There are six minutes until the show starts. – Dad, what time will Pooh arrive? –Probably in about 6 minutes, love; the show’s supposed to start at 2. Why are the trees white? – Maybe they’ll shine lights on the trees and they’ll change colour? I don’t know. The crowd of parents, grandparents, older siblings, and predominantly under-9s is bubbling, excitable. It’s one minute before showtime and the house lights drop: immediately, a large contingent of youngsters to my right begin wailing. My daughter sits up in her seat.

A young boy, dressed brightly in a yellow top and white walking socks, skips onstage and turns the trees around. They’re painted green and brown on the other side. He skips a few laps, leading us through some simple dance moves and clapping, before hopping into a time machine. The lights flash and pulse dim and there are some sci-fi noises. The wailing to my right intensifies. A moment later, Christopher Robin emerges from the time machine but he has aged 35 years and now has a dry, working class English accent. The stage brightens up and he drags on the pieces of a tree house, stacked in a low trolley. He builds Pooh’s home, then the door magically opens, and Pooh is on stage. At this point, the wailing to my right has abruptly stopped. I look at my daughter and she is slumped in her chair, blanket and thumb jammed in her mouth, eyes glued on the stage. 

What follows is mixture of pantomime, magic tricks, audience participation and simple-and-accessible episodic storytelling. Christopher Robin – who is a wonderfully good sport and deals with the unpredictability of kids with a laconic generosity – Pooh, Tigger and the gang play their way through a variety of scenarios that kept me smiling and my daughter engaged. There was just the right number of nods to the adults in the audience to keep the parents happy too. I’m not terribly versed in the genre of kids’ theatre, having only seen the Wiggles and a touring Moana show previously, both sung live, while this show appeared to use pre-recorded songs, but for my money I’d give this show the edge for audience engagement, wholesomeness, and variety. 

Below are a few quick interview questions with my daughter, upon arriving home:

What was your favourite bit?

When Eeyore always just falls down.

What was a funny bit?

When the muppet was in the mail truck and then he was like, “memememememe!” (Laughs and demonstrates.)

Were there any scary bits?

Nope.

Were there any magical bits?

When Tigger got in his truck and he went away with his truck and then there was still snow falling down. 

Can you tell me the story of the show?

It’s a bit too long. 

Can you tell me some bits of the story?

When the mail man was in the truck and he gave a gigantic mail box. And then Piglet just smashed out of it. And there was another big hut and Eeyore just smashed out of it. And Winnie the Pooh was in his house. And when Christopher Robin was in the time machine, and he turned into a grown up and then he turned back into a kid.

Who should go and see this show?

Um… everyone. (Big smile.)

Why?

Because then I could go hi, hi, hi, to everyone, greeting. (Demonstrates.)

What was the biggest surprise?

When the polar bear was wearing the tutu on her neck. 

Anything else people should know?

Nope.

I thought the bit where they did the juggling with the giant balloons in the audience was pretty cool. What did you think of that bit?

OK, I think, I was like… oh my god! I want a balloon! A gigantic balloon! So I can eat it up and pop it and boil it up with pasta and rice bubbles… (continues, descending into a babble with lots of waving arms and smiling)

At this point, I became convinced that the excitement of the day coupled with the ice cream and lemonade had probably conspired to end the interview. Enough to say, the show was a lovely family occasion and I got great joy from watching my daughter enjoy it. The atmosphere in the foyer afterwards was still exuberant and excited. Parents and whanau were happy. Children were amped. On the way out, my daughter sings the Winnie the Pooh song from the finale. She mentions wanting to get Winne the Pooh toys. Sounds like a job well done to me.

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