OBSERVER: Teddy Bear’s Picnic
During early summer there was an air of mystery hanging over the St Kilda Botanical Gardens as parents and little ones were challenged with solving who had kidnapped Bobby the Bear.
The Melbourne Shakespeare Company brought the Annual Teddy Bear’s Picnic to the historic gardens with a talented cast of five each playing various characters, as we visited many sites each giving us a clue as to who might have been responsible for the kidnapping.
Starting with all assembled on picnic rugs, wide-eyed little ones were told of the kidnapping, interspersed with song, vocal and dance participation, all led admirably by Tref Gare as Special Agent Honeycomb and Isabelle Davis as Ms Place who had us follow them through the garden paths and surprisingly meeting some quirky woodland characters.
Well placed posters “Have you seen Bobby the Bear?” with an Evidence Board of photos of likely suspects shown to us by Special Agent Honeycomb only heightened the mystery.
We were kept moving through the gardens by Jessica David as Sam, ensuring we didn’t stray, keeping us as a group between the sites that held clues, meeting Jacob Kuek as The Tree of Wilderness and soon after an aging Granny played confusingly by Daniel Hillman.
Still no closer to finding Bobby, we came upon a large honeypot, the property of Bobby the Bear, but who showed up from behind the honeypot, Sir Nibbles Nuttington a puppet squirrel spoken by Daniel Hillman.
A very lifelike and absorbing performance, well timed and executed, finishing with the little ones exploring the area to find as many acorns as possible, much to the delight of Sir Nibbles Nuttington.
There was a happy ending and all the Cast and Creatives from Melbourne Shakespeare Company are to be applauded for such a niche performance directed so well, to those who one day may well strut the stage in a Shakespearian work. Maybe in a couple of decades?
Review by Graeme McCoubrie