The "dog handlers" effortlessly navigated the stage and audience. Photo / Tom Grut, Live Nation
The "dog handlers" effortlessly navigated the stage and audience. Photo / Tom Grut, Live Nation
Review by Jenni Mortimer
Jenni Mortimer, Lifestyle and Travel Editor (audience) for New Zealand's Herald, is passionate about telling stories and providing a place to escape for kiwis in amongst the hard news.
Kiwi Bluey fans had been eagerly awaiting the arrival of their favourite family of heelers since it was announced in October last year that Bluey’s Big Play was coming to Aotearoa.
And finally, the Emmy-winning puppy and her family arrived in Auckland at the pinnacle of the long weekend.
With just 50 minutes on the clock to win over one of Spark Arena’s youngest audiences ever, Bluey set to work.
The backdrop was familiar to Bluey fans young and old. Photo / Tom Grut, Live Nation
The stage was set with the heelers’ iconic Queenslander house perched on its iconic Queensland hill, and a host of bin chickens giving us our first taste of what would unfold as a puppetry masterclass.
While I thought my 5-year-old (sceptical) son would see through the puppetry and be distracted by the lime green adorned puppeteers, I could not have been more wrong.
From the moment the bin chickens arrived, the audience was hooked. Photo / Tom Grut, Live Nation
Hiding in plain sight, the puppeteers commandeered the stage with just as much charisma and charm as the Wiggles, but without stealing a single moment or scene. My son didn’t mention, or dare I say, even notice what I referred to as the dog handlers. As a parent, I found myself watching their well-honed skills in awe – including one uber cool ramp slide into position.
And well-honed those skills are, with the theatrical show being wildly successful in Australia and around the globe. Some 447 shows have been performed across 65 venues in Australia alone.
The charm of these four cartoon dogs, Bluey, Bingo, Bandit, and Chilli, plus a quick appearance from Lucky’s dad, was effortless to watch.
Bluey and Bandit at the beginning of Bluey's Big Play. Photo / Tom Grut, Live Nation
The atmosphere was relaxed as kids were mesmerised and hooked on the storyline that began with Bingo hiding her dad’s phone so he would play with her.
Parents relaxed as soon as they realised this wasn’t the type of show where they would be expected to stand up and be part of the performance too. There weren’t any action songs, sudden games or commotion that were our job to get kids to buy into.
Everyone sang along to the Bluey theme song, though nothing felt forced. The atmosphere was abuzz, but not a sensory overload. It was effortless fun, and Bluey has the audience in the palm of her paw.
Bluey spread joy across a packed Spark Arena. Photo / Tom Grut, Live Nation
Throughout the show, we saw Bluey learn to battle with being a sister, Bandit and Chilli learn the importance of being present and disconnecting from devices (as we all filmed our children on ours), and everyone being reminded to call their siblings a little more often.
Every storyline was perfectly navigated with a child-sized dose of empathy, a bit of fun, and most importantly, a laugh.
Laughter peaked when Bluey and Bingo dressed up as their iconic (in the Bluey fandom) crazy granny characters and terrorised their dad and Lucky’s dad with the rogue Granny-Mobile.
And there were awws from parents and empathetic looks when Chilli tried to explain why she doesn’t see her sister as often as she would like.
Bluey performs during Bluey's Big Play. Photo / Tom Grut, Live Nation
The show wouldn’t have been complete without a game of keepy-uppy, where balls flew from the wings and stage, further intensifying as keepy-uppy was upsized with the addition of a bubble machine.
The show’s performers effortlessly made sure that nearly every child got a good whack at the balls before they disappeared back into the wings. As a parent, it was truly charming to witness the care that such a chaotic moment was choreographed with.
As I left Spark Arena, I felt I’d been reminded of what our kids actually need from us in terms of fun. So often it’s us as parents who complicate “play”. It comes with rules, sensory overload, expensive toys, and our constant quest to give our kids learning and lessons.
But if Bluey taught us anything, it’s that creating memories and fun with your kids is quite literally child’s play. Wackadoo!
Jenni Mortimer is the New Zealand Herald’s chief lifestyle and entertainment reporter. She started at the Herald in 2017 and has worked as its lifestyle, entertainment and travel editor.
