Just as we adults enjoy a good “beach read” over the holidays, summer break seem like the perfect time for kids to kick back in an air-conditioned theatre and lose themselves in some silly fun. The 91-Storey Treehouse is just the ticket.
My Miss 5 discovered the much-loved “Treehouse” series by Andy Griffith and Terry Denton this year, and it only took the first “13 storeys” for her to be completely hooked into to the boisterous world of the adventurous, but not all too bright, “Andy and Terry,” who are forever adding more wild levels to their treehouse, while making book deadlines by a hair.
An invitation to see The 91-Storey Treehouse at the Sydney Opera House was met with particularly bouncy enthusiasm. We even jumped forward a few dozen storeys (books) to read the 91-Storeys before seeing the show. Having read it so recently, she was full of expectations, and based on the chatter I heard around me in the audience, she definitely wasn’t the only one.
So, the first thing I’d suggest if you’re taking your Treehouse-crazy kid to this show is to gently suggest to them ahead of time that not everything will be exactly the same as in the book. Such is the reality of having to, you know, pay actors, and build sets, and fit a couple hundred madcap pages into an hour. Andy and Terry have set the bar pretty high!
With that out of the way, whether or not your kid is immersed in the Treehouse books world, The 91-Storey Treehouse is a whole lot of madcap fun. A fortune teller is wreaking havoc on the treehouse. Meanwhile, the boys have been recruited to babysit their publisher’s three grandchildren. With new treehouse levels like a giant whirlwind, a secret world inside a wardrobe, and a mysterious red button the might just cause the end of the world, as the gents say, “what could possibly go wrong?”
Of course, it all goes wrong from the first moment to last, which is exactly what kids want to see. The cast of four are wholly dedicated to the slapstick world, and a few songs add an energetic lift. Miss 5 says that her favorite parts were the genie in a bottle (the gang literally miss the boat with three very foolhardy wishes), and the big, colorful ending. I particularly got a kick out of Danielle King’s funny portrayal of Madam-Know-it-All, Jill’s constant attempt to restore order, the psychedelic dance through “Banarnia” world, and the clever use of the set with its pop-out drawers, hidden doors, and giant slide.
The one place the show misses is with the use of floppy dolls as the three kids the boys are babysitting. While the babysitting plot should add a whole extra layer of urgency, the “kids” make a couple of appearances, getting tossed around or propped up on the side, and are otherwise more or less forgotten. Maybe it was the mum in me, but I was internally thinking, “where are the kids?!” for most of the show. Miss 5 said she “didn’t really like how they did the kids,” either.
On balance, however, there is a more than enough madness, adventure, silliness, and music to make up for that lost plotline. This is one that the kids will love a lot more than the adults; but as a grown up, I was transported back to remember how fun it is to be a kid who knows more than the adult characters, and to imagine being part of a world where anything might happen at any moment.
The suggested age for The 91-Storey Treehouse is 6+. I think you could go even a bit younger, but do be aware that are a few scenes that young children may find scary.
We were very happy to get out of the heat and get lost in the bright and funny world of the ever-growing treehouse.
We attended The 91-Storey Treehouse as guests of the Sydney Opera House. Opinions are ours.
The 91-Storey Treehouse runs through 20 January at the Sydney Opera House. Tickets begin at $39, plus booking fee. Plan to arrive early or stay a few minutes after for Creative Play in the lobby.