On an expansive set with warm colours and tones, set and lighting designer Michael Knapp uses a large cyc-screen to maximum effect, to create a clear yet cosy desert land, where we meet the many wonderful creatures and characters from the book by Joy Cowley, Snake And Lizard.

Staying true to Cowley’s story and expanding on the issues that these two encounter through their unlikely friendship (such as sharing, envy, compromise, good communications, giving friends the space they need, accepting it’s OK for friends to like different things and it’s OK to ask for help when you need it), the series of adventures we see are mostly entertaining and full of thought provoking matters for young enquiring minds to ponder on.  

Tim Bray Productions has reassembled a stellar cast for the task. Tim Raby is a delightful Lizard who embraces every sentence and song with affection and enthusiasm. Denise Snoad brings calm and poise to her characterisation of Snake.

Puppeteer and actress Madeleine Lynch is totally engaging in all her roles, in particular as the energetic Rabbit and grumpy Tortoise. Fellow puppeteer Todd Emerson is also very watchable and enjoys playing an exuberant love-struck skunk.

The show features many intricate and wonderful puppets (constructed and designed by Sam Shelton and Becky Ehlers) and Alana Tisdall completes the smooth on-stage work of the puppeteer team.

Musician Ben Fernandez sits at the keyboard on side of stage, playing Christine White’s charming songs very well. He also provides cowboy-like tunes and plenty of atmospheric accompaniments – all of which weave into the narrative with ease.

Choreographer Linda McFetridge and Director Tim Bray use the open space well for the most part. The desert rocks – costume design by Chantelle Gerrard – are a triumph. But some moments, such as the slow to get going ‘Home renovations’ scene and the final ‘River of Death’ scene, need more than mime, light and off-stage action referred to after the event, to really connect the audience to the story.

With some relatively complicated themes for a children’s show, as a parent I would advise standing by to whisper some reassuring or explanatory words now and then, if you take kids under the age of 6 who scare easily.

While there are many highlights in the hour, overall I am left with the feeling that perhaps more pace, humour and song is required to fully engage the younger minds in particular, in every moment. 
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Tim Bray Productions celebrates their 50th show, mostly for children, since they began in 1991. Their quirky adaptation of Joy Cowley’s delightful collection of tales centres around this classic desert-dwelling reptilian odd-couple. The simple stories address such timeless social concerns as manners, loyalty in friendship, honesty and commerce… not always in the way you might expect.

The symbiotic set and lighting design of Michael Knapp utilises the full space of the Pumphouse’s stage to create a seemingly vast desert, distant snowcapped mountains, red setting sun, a few sparsely positioned rocks and cacti plus a single stage left nikau palm, perhaps acting the role of a yucca? 

Chantelle Gerard’s costume designs are more abstract than realistic, particularly in the case of Snake whose scale pattern goes down her torso and one leg, her other limbs black.  Under company namesake Bray’s direction, Denise Snoad and Tim Raby ably inhabit the scaly skins of the title characters. 

Snake, the cynical lazy one, is somewhat long-suffering of Lizard, more of a fun-loving optimist but not without his serious side.  Together the unlikely duo slither and scurry through a series of anecdotal yarns sometimes light-hearted, sometimes a bit more grim, always in some way amusing if not downright ironic. 

Supporting roles are very well handled by Madeleine Lynch and Adam Burrell, the rabbit and the skunk being standout cameos.  Assisted by Alana Tisdall, Lynch and Burrell also operate quite a number of types of entertaining puppet characters designed and constructed by Sam Shelton.  My son’s favourite was the flock of chooks; I was personally moved by the tragic quail whose eggs were pinched…

Woven throughout the production is Ben Fernandez’s great music, commended by opening night guest of honour Mrs. Cowley herself!  Fernandez and his synthesizer supply a wholly isolated, stark country cowboy kind of soundtrack from the opening strains of a harmonica seeming to echo across the arid plane, and hold the atmosphere between the occasionally disjointed stories as well as provide solid backing for the thematic show-numbers as composed by Christine White.

Though Joy Cowley is a celebrated homegrown icon, this tale is clearly not set in this country given its wildlife.  The narrative of the play is identical to the book first published in 2001.  The child behind us was reading along with the play from her own copy – fortunately not aloud, except she did quietly announce the title of each short episode, which was fine – helpful even.

So thank you Pumphouse theatre and Tim Bray Productions.  A super city of children and their parents eagerly await your next fifty plays with high expectations.
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