The Velveteen Rabbit
By Margery Williams
Adapted for the stage by Tim Bray
Produced by Tim Bray Productions
Directed by Tim Bray
Music and lyrics by Christine White and Albert Hammond
Set design/scenic artistry by Rachael Walker
Lighting design by Steve Marshall
Costume design and construction by Vicki Slow
Choreography by Jeremy Birchall
Incidental music by Andy Manning
The Velveteen Rabbit himself made by Louise Hutchinson and the Hutchinson Sisters
At The Pumphouse Theatre, Takapuna, Auckland
From 21 September, 2015 to 10 October, 2015
Published at http://www.theatreview.org.nz
Tim Bray Productions regular school holiday shows for kids – should I say families – have become the closest thing to a children’s theatre institution that we have in the City of Sails. One of the benefits of regular attendance is consistency in that the Tim Bray Productions formula doesn’t change much. There’s a costume parade at the top of every show with prizes for kids who have dressed up, there’s a raffle drawn at the end of the opening performance with much sought after prizes, there’s a post-show opening performance speech from Bray himself with thanks to special people and, of course, to the sponsors and, in Bray’s case, this is quite a list. In most cases I don’t care for post-show shenanigans because they take me out of the experience I’ve just had but Bray’s sincere and easy going charm somehow makes them work. Then there’s a Gala Opening Night party with good food and ample juice outdoors in the courtyard of the theatre where the kids get to meet the actors in a seriously informal setting. It’s a well-trod path and always an excellent experience for all concerned.
The down side of having a satisfying and time-honoured formula is the need to keep things fresh and new and Bray has, in the simplest way possible, absolutely nailed it on this occasion.
Tim Bray
In recent times Tim Bray Productions has focused primarily on writing by established and popular New Zealand authors of the quality of Joy Cowley, Margaret Mahy, Lynley Dodd and Witi Ihimaera but here he changes generation and ethnicity, zips back in time to 1922 and across the seas to the U S of A and picks up ‘The Velveteen Rabbit’, a children’s classic almost one hundred years old. Published in 1922 this would have been the book du jour for the families of servicemen returned a mere four years earlier from the horror of the trenches or perhaps of solo mothers whose men had not returned at all, and read, pre-television and electronic media, to wide-eyed youngsters whose destiny was, a mere seventeen years later, to do the world war thing all over again. The book’s existential themes of how do we ‘make things real’ and what is ‘reality’ must have been incredibly accessible to its new audience in the 1920’s and 30’s and, unsurprisingly, remains so today.
Margery Williams
I can hear you muttering ‘so what’s so different this time? After all, it’s theatre for kids adapted from the original by Bray himself with songs by Christine White, designs by the inimitable Rachael Walker and its slick and entertaining which have been the hallmarks of Bray’s work for years? So how is this different?’
It’s different because there is a richness and emotional depth about this production of ‘The Velveteen Rabbit’ that explores new and exciting areas for this company. That’s not to say previous work hasn’t been emotionally satisfying, not by a long shot, but this is deceptively simple and straight forward in ways that remove any emotional filter between the actors and the audience and lets us right in. The result is deep silences as the plot unfolds and real, empathetic laughter at the many moments of pure, human comedy. It’s a small cast show, just four actors and one musician which I imagine makes the economics viable, but it doesn’t seem short-changed on any level. The performances are multi-faceted, the visuals consistently maintained and the narrative adheres very closely to the original which, for such a well-loved story, is a sensible choice. Although the original was published in 1922 this production has a timeless quality that makes it equally accessible to the youngest audience member and to the oldest grandparent alike. Vicki Slow’s admirable, period neutral costumes contribute significantly to this accessibility.
Santa as himself
Rachael Walkers’ excellent set is a boy’s bedroom with the fourth wall removed. It’s small, placed on a slight angle, and the single bed and one small bookcase take up almost all of the space. There are entrances left and right and a large window that gives access to the outside. On either side of the stage are floor to ceiling scaffolding poles – trees – with autumnal leaves at the base of each. The whole gives the impression of a pastel simplicity that is maintained throughout. It’s an evocative setting and Steve Marshall’s skilled and beautifully defined lighting design and Jaz Davis’ subtle operation contribute much to this success.
Now, if you’re six years old or less and reading this I complement you on your literacy skills but suggest you stop right now because I’m heading into ‘spoiler’ territory and you may not want to go there with me. It could spoil your fun when you eventually go to see the play!
Jared Kirkwood
It’s Christmas Eve and Boy (a spirited and charming Jared Kirkwood) is incredibly excited. With most of the action taking place in Boy’s bedroom, his books and toys become important characters in themselves. This is never an easy task and in this instance Bray has chosen to animate these characters with human puppeteer actors who bring their puppets to life simply by playing with them as children do. Each of the actors plays multiple roles with the exception of the Velveteen Rabbit who is played and voiced exclusively by puppeteer Jonathan Martin. The empathic Erica Kröger plays Mum and Fairy, the ever-amiable Tim Raby plays Boy’s uncle, a doctor and Santa’s stunt double and each of these excellent artist’s also doubles as a puppeteer for the various toys, books and other objects of childhood fantasy that people this narrative. Santa, who appears in a delightful scene of childlike entrapment, plays ‘himself’ as has become traditional in Tim Bray’s productions. I guess a little off-season work for Santa is helpful in the lead up to Christmas.
Tim Raby
We are introduced to the otherwise inanimate characters by their puppeteers, with assistance from Boy – the tired and worn Skin Horse (originally owned by Grandpa, then Uncle, and now Boy so he’s a hand-me-down), Train, Lion (a terrifying King of the Jungle), Yacht (a ketch actually), Dog (the favourite who goes missing) and Ball – and the scene is set for the unfolding of this charming, existential exploration of reality.
Erica Kröger
Boy sets a trap to find out if Santa is real and eventually goes to sleep. Santa evades the trap, delivers the presents and at the top of Boy’s stocking he leaves a new Velveteen Rabbit. To cut a long story short the rabbit becomes Boy’s favourite toy, Rabbit finds out from Skin Horse that if you’re loved by your owner you can become ‘real’, Boy develops a bad case of Scarlet Fever, Doctor is called and, when Boy has recovered, Doctor insists that the contents of Boy’s bedroom, including the much-loved Velveteen Rabbit, be destroyed. Rabbit, along with the other toys and books, is stuffed in a bag and left in the garden to be burnt. Rabbit is devastated and sheds a single tear which, when it hits the ground, turns into a beautiful magic flower. Enter the Flower Fairy who casts a special spell which turns the tired and worn out old Velveteen Rabbit into a hefty, brown, incredibly healthy, floppy-eared, bob tailed real-as bunny. It’s quite simply a transformation made in heaven and it all happens courtesy of the magic of live theatre, right in front of our eyes and it’s as enchanted a transformation as you are ever likely to see. On a one hundred point cuteness scale it rockets off at 120!
Jonathan Martin
Bray’s adaption ends at this point whereas Margery Williams’ book adds a nice little coda which is quite simply not necessary in live performance because that work has already been done by these excellent actors.
Albert Hammond
The text is rich with great kid lines – Lion shouts ‘tremble my enemies’, Yacht reminds us snobbily that’s it’s ‘actually a ketch’, when Mum puts the toys away ‘it’s called tidying up, we all hate it’, and when Boy asks Skin Horse ‘what is real?’ the horse’s reply makes sense of everything: ‘Real is when a boy loves you for a long, long time. Once you’re real it lasts for always’. This is cleverly supported, of course, by the texted discussion around whether or not Santa himself is real – which he is, of course! There’s a plethora of ‘what do you get if you cross a rabbit with a (insert item of your choice)’ riddles, each one groanier than the last, and we love them all.
Christine White
It’s easy to under-estimate the effectiveness of Christine White’s songs and the pertinence of her lyrics because they fit seamlessly into the narrative but they are enormously good. The singing of the songs will improve as the season progresses and the actors relax into them. I’m sure the balance between vocals and the accompaniment at the opening of the show will level out as well in the next day or so. This is not so much a criticism as a process because each is already perfectly fine. It was also good to hear a snatch of Albert Hammond’s ‘I’m a Train’ inserted at an appropriate spot. It was like meeting an old friend, and Andy Manning’s keyboards and guitar support the action splendidly throughout.
Andy Manning
It’s hard to imagine a more beautiful venue than The Pumphouse dotted as it is next to Lake Pupuke with plenty of space for picnics and play. Tim Bray Productions provides a service to Auckland that is second to none in traditional children’s theatre and I encourage you to participate fully. ‘The Velveteen Rabbit’ is an excellent show and, perhaps surprisingly, it’s suitable for all ages. I thoroughly enjoyed it as did my thirteen year old son which is a good sign.
There’s a richness and a depth seldom achieved in productions for kids and none is at the expense of top quality entertainment. There’s a beautiful synergy between on stage, backstage and front of house that’s also very rare.
Get tickets soon because this show will sell out.
dykiegirl 