Kiwi’s Big Hararei lights up Circa Theatre with a smart mix of humour, music and inventive storytelling. Co-writers Catriona Tipene and Ryan Cundy have shaped a lively, family-friendly journey that moves at an easy pace while keeping its emotional core strong. Under Tipene’s direction, the show flows cleanly from scene to scene, always clear and engaging for both kids and adults.

At the centre is Gabby Clark’s standout turn as Kiwi. Clark gives Kiwi curiosity and quiet determination, nailing both quick laughs and gentle moments of reflection. Their work anchors the show and every beat of Kiwi’s big adventure rings true.

The ensemble cast — Salomé Neely, Tadhg Mackay and Ryan Cundy — add colour and comedy, shifting deftly between roles to create a vivid world. The energy never dips, thanks in part to Daniel Nodder’s choreography, which keeps movement crisp and playful.

Music is another highlight. The original waiata by Benny Tipene, arranged by Ben Kelly, brings warmth and lift, while Kelly’s sound design keeps everything balanced and rich. Kate Anderson’s lighting design, and Brendan West and James Searle’s set design (dressed and painted by Loretta Knights), work in harmony to suggest expansive landscapes and intimate spaces through simple, striking choices, offering a flexible and imaginative playground for the action.

And, as always with Horse with No Name, the costumes are a highlight. GRIDLEY by Victoria’s designs, supported by technicians Dani Fredrickson and Jay Otto, are imaginative and beautifully detailed — our family now looks forward to their costumes at every show, and Kiwi’s Big Hararei more than delivers. The flexible set by Brendan West and James Searle, with finishing touches by Loretta Knights, completes the picture with style and wit.

Horse With No Name once again knocks it out of the park with a committed cast and a creative team firing on all cylinders. Kiwi’s Big Hararei is a strong piece of theatre for whānau — smartly made, thoughtfully performed, with enough heart to make moments linger. 

Dev Rama (aged 6)

Kiwi flew to Brisbane with his mum on an aeroplane and he met a kangaroo. The kangaroo liked to build rollercoasters.

My favourite character was the Kangaroo (Tadhg Mackay) because he was funny. They had aeroplane seats in the plane scenes (set design by Brendan West and James Searle) and there was a big hole in the back of it so the kangaroo’s tail could fit through.

The two Kiwi costumes were really cool, I don’t know how they made them! (Victoria Gridley). The songs were good too (Benny Tipene). My favourite bit was… all of it!

Luna Rama (aged 9):

The play was about Kiwi going on an aeroplane ride to Australia, and on a rollercoaster, and Kangaroo and Aunt Echidna getting to be girlfriend and boyfriend again, and Mum getting a new job, and Kangaroo getting his new rollercoaster going.

I liked how romantic it was when Kangaroo and Echidna saw each other. I liked how whenever they were going to kiss, they were stopped. Kiwi was like, “This will make it more romantic,” and shone the torch right in their eyes, haha! When Kangaroo and Aunt Echidna got back together, Kiwi was like, “I think it was the worm spaghetti that did it,” haha.

I liked how Kiwi kept interrupting Kangaroo on the aeroplane. I also liked how Kiwi was singing ‘Tīrama, Tīrama, Ngā Whetu’, and Kangaroo kept going like “THUNDER” (she starts headbanging).

I also liked how Kiwi kept breaking stuff and being like “I’ll just fix it”, and how he kept making music with the computer and the bell. I liked the animation of the rollercoaster (Knights Studio, led by Loretta Knights).

It was a good show and I wanted to video it to watch it over and over, and I wanted there to be a performance of that show every day. 

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