I find myself in a theatre packed with 7 to 8-year-olds from the local primary school and if their response is anything to go by, The Worm hits all the sweet spots.

As we wait for the lights to go down, Finn Scholes from Carnivorous Plant Society is setting the scene with pre-show tunes. One of the school’s teachers is tapping his feet in appreciation beside me. Then the lights drop and the first loud scream from the kids signals we are off into the journey of The Worm.

The Worm is a big production – originally made for larger venues but on this second iteration, Nightsong are testing smaller halls and spaces to bring the show to audiences who wouldn’t normally get to see an event of this scale. This is a complex piece with a giant spider and bird, a seedy and steamy underground bar and characters entering from the wings. It’s a technical marvel that the crew pull it off so effectively, and the 75 kids packed into ONEONESIX are loud, engaged, and utterly appreciative throughout.

The narrative has the quality of a Greek myth: Young Worm journeys from the underworld up to the surface in search of his mother, meeting a wise Old Worm and encountering dangers and obstacles along the way. His biggest journey, of course, is the one inside – what he needs to learn about himself. There’s plenty of education woven in about the environment and biodiversity, all wrapped in humour and underpinned by a live soundtrack laid down by multi-instrumentalist Scholes.

The cast are excellent and grab every opportunity to engage with the kids, who respond like a pantomime audience – cheering, booing and screaming on cue. This version features a completely new cast, including one of Aotearoa’s theatre and screen legends, Alison Quigan, who takes on multiple roles and whose comic timing is a joy to watch.

Ahi Karunaharan brings calm wisdom to the Old Worm, a perfect counterbalance to Puka Moeau’s innocent but brave Young Worm. Brett O’Gorman, also juggling multiple roles, displays his comic chops, while Shauntelle Jones as the blind old Rat milks every drop of villainy from the role.

The engagement between the cast and the kids is lovely to see, with all the kids having a blast. At just over an hour, it’s a tight, well-paced production.

The Worm works for the adults in the room too – puns galore in a sweet, well-crafted tale of a hero’s journey. A genuinely impressive piece of family theatre that hopefully more audiences in the regions will have the opportunity to be a part of.

[In April The Worm will be in Henderson, Takapuna and Mangere – see Production Details.]

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A worm with a longing to understand what life might be like outside of what he’s always known deep underground and a desire to thine own self be true, finds himself thrust into finding out when his mother (the lovely Yvette Parsons) is plucked from their home by a giant bird. He has only one choice – he must venture above ground and save her.

Quest on, Young Worm (Albert Latailakepa) stumbles into ‘Rat’s Bar’ only to find himself face to face with the self-proclaimed Queen of the Underworld, Blind Rat (wonderfully bought to life by Anapela Polatai’vao), the baldest and scariest of them all.

After being saved from certain death by Older Worm (a very likeable Semu Filipo), the pair begin their quest to save mum and dance in the rain.

With some humorous and energetic cameos from scene-stealing Andrew Grainger, as both a flower bulb desperate to know what kind of flower he really is, and a vain cockroach who comes to a satisfyingly sticky end, Young Worm and Older Worm continue their journey, with all its perils, to reach the great world above ground.  

The costumes and puppet work are a real delight. Spider and hapless Snail, both also played by Parsons, bring another element of humour to the mix.

This is a great cast, and the live music on stage from the talented band, Carnivorous Plants Society, enriches the experience. I find myself waiting for the actors to break into song, so when they finally do an ensemble number, it is joyful. It’s just a shame it only happens once.

The storyline, written by Carl and Peter Bland, holds together well, but at times it loses its way, becoming wordy and the last third could do with more pace. There is also a surprising amount of death treated very casually. Instead of giving the side characters an arc, they’re killed off, which feels limiting for a show aimed at kids and with a theme of knowing oneself as a key to change.

My eight and nine year old accompanying me both wonder at the end why things turned out with the minor characters the way they did.  However, this is a production full of heart and overall the kids in the audience were delighted by it.

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