Stage versions of children’s TV shows are not something I’m typically game for. A million thank yous to everyone in our lives who never told my then pre-schooler that a stage version of Peppa Pig was a thing that exists. But, I had a feeling that a theatrical version of the quiet, slow, delightfully odd BBC show Sarah & Duck (seen here in Australia on ABC Kids) might be a little different from some other As-Seen-On-TV spectaculars. So, my littlest theatrical companion and I went to try our luck at Sarah & Duck’s Big Top Birthday at the Sydney Opera House.
Sarah & Duck, if you haven’t seen it, is an animated series about a little girl – Sarah – and her non-speaking, quacking friend, Duck. Their world is a little left of center, populated with unusual characters, both people and inanimate objects. Their tame adventures are narrated by the voice of a grandfatherly older man, who also interacts with the pair, giving them sage advice and ideas. If your kids are fans of the TV show, they’ll find this stage production comfortingly familiar. Sarah and Duck are played by puppets, as are characters including Scarf Lady and her handbag, the Ribbon Sisters, Umbrella, and the Shallots.
Sarah & Duck discover that it is Scarf Lady’s birthday the following day, and set to work creating a Big Top themed party for her, using the talents of their friends, while battling a mighty windstorm. 4 puppeteers work all of the characters, and make onstage set changes. The dialogue is recorded by the actors from the show, which I think is probably necessary, especially the narrator’s voice, to preserve what kids know from TV (but it did have thinking about how hard the Stage Manager must be working to keep all those sound cues firing!). It also means that there’s not as much connection built between the audience and the performers as you’d usually experience in live theatre (to their credit, the puppeteers do a nice job of interacting with the audience, as much as they’re able).
There’s a lot to like in this production. It has a great big heart, from Sarah’s determination to put together a spectacular party for her dear Scarf Lady to beautifully theatrical touches like “underwater” dancing penguins, a dreamy illuminated night scene, and a hot air balloon rides, plus a smattering of lovely songs. The story is gentle and full of light-hearted humor (I loved a bit where Sarah tells a joke with a punchline as nonsensical as all the jokes my 5 year old tells, to praise from the narrator). The viewer is asked to suspend disbelief in wonderful ways, from accepting that the Scarf Lady is flying around in a hot air balloon (shown with a small puppet for scale) to acrobatic garden vegetables, to a tight-walking flamingo. It’s a trip into a bright, sweet world of childhood imagination.
The recommended age for this production is 2+, and I’d say 3+ might even be better because the action does move rather slowly. It runs close to an hour, and there are places where it could be a tighter. You could hear many kids in the audience getting restless around two-thirds of the way through, so younger kids may struggle to make it through happily. It would probably appeal to kids up to around 6, particularly if they like the TV show.
Sarah & Duck’s Big Top Birthday brings to stage everything that makes the Sarah & Duck TV show unique and sweet. Kids who the TV show doesn’t excite probably won’t be brought around by this rather slow-moving production; but for children who already enjoy the show, this stage version promises a lot of magic and smiles.
We attended Sarah & Duck’s Big Top Birthday as guests of the Sydney Opera House.
Sarah & Duck’s Big Top Birthday runs through 23 December at the Sydney Opera House.
Tickets range from $29 – $49 plus booking fee.
Running time: 55 minutes, no interval.