This is a case of one door closes, then other doors close, then the first door opens again.

Three years ago, Little Dog Barking Theatre Company presented the late Peter Wilson’s PARTY PIGS! at BATS, performed by Kenny King as part of the TAHI Festival 2022. Three weeks ago their Director, Jacqueline Coats, announced the company’s painful decision to close. Meanwhile KidzStuff Theatre had scheduled Birdlife Productions’ Box of Birds for their September School Holiday show but a family bereavement saw it suddenly cancelled. So now Kenny King has resurrected the PARTY PIGS! puppets and stepped into the breach!

It’s a funny and charming show that starts with Kenny trying to get to sleep the night before his birthday. Instead of sheep, he counts the Little Piggies on one of his feet, which sparks the idea of a Piggy Party! Ingeniously – yes, you could try this at home – he makes a pillow into a pig, discovers a pile of others, each a different colour, and fun ensues from characterising each one, as per the nursery rhyme. The one who had roast beef is overweight, the one who had none is featherweight and the one who goes “wee wee wee wee all the way home” provokes peals of laughter from the rapt audience.

Apart from – or rather as part of – appealing to all ages, Kenny’s performance is multilingual. He accompanies his relaxed storytelling, in English, with NZ Sign Language, and as the five Piggies proliferate in a range of sizes, we try to keep track by counting them using kupu Māori. When multiple voices count tahi, rua, toru, whā, rima, ono, whiti, waru and stop at iwa, the new-entrant age child in front of me quietly asks, “Where’s tekau?” It’s all very fluent and simple, causing no confusion or distress whatsoever. It enriches the experience (current government, please note).

The larger version of the green pig – the one who went to market, to get supplies – is having its birthday tomorrow too. But guess who demolishes the cake this night before! So the others set to work to make another. Accompanied by music, with Kenny’s kazoo noises introducing a fourth language, the industrious activities of the puppet Piggies are entrancing. And abracadabra, a cake is made!

Now the story continues in rhyming text with ever-more colourful props and different-sized pigs coming to the party-preparations party by way of food, decorations and presents. Not only does Kenny play up the parental scolding when the little piggies play up, he also gets naughty himself by arguing he must eat the chocolate éclair because the cream will go off by morning.

A deceptively simple show, Party Pigs! includes lots of things the young ones may want to talk about afterwards or feel inspired by as they make up things to do inside in this unseasonal weather (except doesn’t this always happen in the Spring holidays?).

Kenny King brings amiable mastery to the skills, tone and manner that make Party Pigs! a wet day winner.

Copyright © in the review belongs to the reviewer

Nine little piggies accidentally spoil their friend’s birthday, leaving one very sad little piggy. Nine little piggies must work hard to surprise their friend with a new party.

My kids love Little Dog Barking shows and are so excited when they recognise Kenny King as he takes the stage. “Yes!” celebrates my eldest.

King, along with director/co-creator Jacqueline Coates and the late great Peter Wilson, have created a show filled with joy and cheek that children of all ages will lap up. Party Pigs tackles the question of ‘how many party pigs can one procure in a pair of pants with plenty of pockets?’

Little Dog Barking are masters of audience connection through ease and simplicity.

As a true sign of a show that hits the mark, the mini reviewers with me rush through the front door at home to gather up all manner of pig and piggish-enough toys to create a sequel where we get to see little pig open his present.

Luna (aged 6):

HE ATE A PIG’S BUTT!

A pig was having a party. The pigs ate all the food. The pigs baked a cake. They were toy pigs and the man was making them be puppets but he had puppet pigs too.

The guy accidentally ate the pigs butt. Hahahahahahaha! He ate all the food but the pigs had eaten it first and they were inside when he bit it.

It was so funny. The man was so funny. I like his other show too, where the rubbish flew out of the bin (Paper Shaper) and the one where the seed grew (The White Tree/Plant a Seed). He always does good shows. I want to go to every show he does.

Dev (aged 3 3/4):

It was the pig’s birthday. The guy ate the piggy’s bum by mistake. The piggy was eating the food like the apple and the cake and the other one cake. The pig was making a different birthday cake for the green pig and the blue pig accidentally ate the cake. So the red pig had to make it all over again. And the green pig had to count the pigs in his pocket.

I liked that the pigs had a present. But what was in that present? I think it was a toy. I think it was a monkey toy what is a present and it was a wind up box and it says dododododo boing!

The green pig didn’t eat his cake!

The man was so silly. What show will he be in next?

Copyright © in the review belongs to the reviewer