Review: THE KOALA WHO COULD, artsdepot

The Koala Who Could is a bestselling children’s book by Rachel Bright and Jim Field, which has been adapted and directed for theatre by Emma Earle. Production Company Nicholl Entertainment is known for their expertise in large-scale puppetry and the adaptation does not disappoint, with lively expressive figures aplenty. The tale follows Kevin the Koala, who is overwhelmed by anxiety and is painfully unable to un-cling from the familiarity of his home. The soothing eucalyptus tree represents safety, but also limitations.

As my 4-year-old and I entered the fantastic 395 capacity artsdepot space at The Pentland Theatre, an excellent choice of Aussie music set the mood joyfully with hits by Kylie, Jason Donovan, Men At Work, and the beautiful "I Still Call Australia Home" by Peter Allen, which a section of the audience sung along to wistfully. The rust-orange outback set by Oli Townsend was both exciting and gloriously in keeping with the eye-catching art work of Jim Field, sloping, earthy and full of adventure.

Frightened Koala Kevin was played by Christopher Finn who excelled at both embodying Kevin, and leading with the wonderful expressive Kevin puppetry. Danny Hendrix lifted the energy as the encouraging Welsh Wombat and Sarah Palmer completed the trio as the hazardous Cassowary, whilst all three cast members shared the storytelling duties.

I was most curious about how the direction would address the theatrical pace which is a delicate issue, due to the tale embracing a slow stride. The result was an insightful blend of matching Kevin’s serenity versus the high-energy from the wild animals which were necessary to keep the play progressing. The puppetry, designed by Chuck Brown and Max Humphries for Unit 9 Puppet Workshop, enhanced and celebrated the articulation of the animals, with particular delight in the movement of the kangaroo and kookaburra. Enjoyable scenes were imagined to form a rumble bush rush-hour and great fun with a race-day commentator to disrupt the peace.

My 4-year-old favoured the tap-tapping of the bird and ‘whooooompf’ of the felled tree, propelling Kevin to make progress with a ‘yes attitude’ and to leave his sanctuary and embrace opportunity.

Whilst the props are charming and enhance the action, the delicate balance of their use was overly-complicated, requiring the actors to constantly remove and replace items. This worked well visually with the river, sun and moon, but felt a tad clunky with the tree branches and tree building.

The music and lyrics have been created beautifully by Eamonn O’Dwyer, adding an enchanting tone, which keeps the story ticking over.

At 55 minutes the show is marginally testing for 3-year-olds but great for 5-year-olds. A visually vibrant show, with a dedicated cast and a beautiful set, committed to telling an important tale about acknowledging fear and anxiety, whilst appreciating resilience is required for progression.

The Koala Who Could Live 2025 UK Tour runs until 1 June 

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