Christmas has come early to Caulfield with Melbourne’s Christmas Wonderland.
Walking into the Big Top, Christmas lights adorn the enclosure. There is a lot to see and do, and the first stop is the Frosty the Snowman jumping castle.
It’s then onto the Ball Pit before a ride on Rudolf’s train.
At 8:15 pm, we are invited into the Big Top for a circus show with Mrs. Claus and the Elves. We are delighted by acrobatics and aerial artists. Mrs. Claus narrates a Christmas story while we witness thrilling stunts.
Then it’s over to decorate elk antlers with festive stickers before visiting Mrs Clause’s Bakery to decorate gingerbread men’s cookies. It’s a simple yet fun activity for the whole family.
In a separate tent, we meet Santa and his Elves and pose for photos. Photo packages start at reasonable prices, and each visit comes with a surprise present from Santa.
Just outside Santa’s workshop is plaster statue painting, a fun activity for everyone. Paint a Santa, penguin or Christmas tree to take home and keep.
Every part of the experience is immersive, and Christmas has been magically brought to life under the Big Top with all your favourite Christmas characters.
The Christmas Wonderland is a fun experience for adults and children with plenty of activities. Whether it’s photo opportunities in Santa’s workshop with shiny baubles or roller skating, there is something for everyone.
Melbourne’s Christmas Wonderland is returning to Caulfield Racecourse from November 29th to December 24th, 2024. It is advised for children 10 and under.
If you have ever played a video game, you’d feel the excitement of pressing a combination of different buttons on the controller and moving your character around the screen – to fight villains, explore different rooms and make decisions. The game always has a goal, often several, with riddles and various quests to complete before the goals are met, before you finally win the game. Perhaps it has taken hours to play. Imagine this. You know what I mean. Now think about the characters jumping out of the screen and are standing right now in front of you, swaying from one foot to the other, patiently waiting for you to give them a command on your controller. Your game has come to life – and you get to make decisions about what happens next. This is what happens in this comedic show Karate Man.
Co-creators and directors Bruno Dubosarsky and Daniel Scarratt have produced a truely unique and hilarious interactive play…and play we did! All audience members participated and became immersed into the story, by taking turns with the controller and pushing buttons, directing Karate Man to do what they wanted in response to the story’s many challenges.
The buttons were typical gaming commands such as kick, throw, punch, jump, grab as well as move left / right/ down and up, all of which Karate Man had to do immediately on command as soon as the it was read out by the game’s narrator. The sound effects added to the authenticity of a video game, complete with repeating sounds when the characters were waiting to be directed what to do.
This video game character was portrayed perfectly by Bruno Dubosarsky and done with such robotic fluidity that it was believable, his movements imitating the basic gaming commands of the 1980’s video games. As you can imagine, the fight between Karate Man, moving in a step by step controlled fashion (eg “right, right, jump, right, kick. Left, left, down, punch”) and his arch enemy Ross Roundkick, played with cheeky wickedness by Daniel Scarratt in the year 198X was hilarious and one of the highlights of the show for me. I was laughing so much as poor Karate Man was directed to move in ridiculous excess due to the audience still getting used to using the controls at the beginning of the show – it would have been exhausting for Bruno. At one stage, Karate Man was directed by the controller “left, left, left, left, left” right off the stage – the audience was crippled with laughter! I had never been to a Choose Your Own Adventure show like this before, and I loved it.
The story of Karate Man takes us into the lives of Karate Man and his wife Kara. Her name being half of his name seemed to be on purpose, and added to the cheesy charm of the show. Kara was played by Stephanie Ryan and her mannerisms of a video game character were spot on. Karate Man had to complete some challenges in this game and the audience was given three choices which led to different scenes and more goals to achieve. As the audience were making the decisions about where Karate Man was going to go next in our rendition of the play, I could see how the show would completely change on different nights. It would be interesting to return to experience another scenario and set of goals.
The supporting cast, Tim Dunk as the Time Fish, Juliet Rae Timmerman as Alex Coober and Maddie Atkins lent keen exaggeration into their video game characters and were very entertaining. All of the actors at different times were so funny, and I believe that some lines may have been impromptu.
The script was clever and contained some references to pop culture embedded. Prop designer Stephanie Ryan kept the stage simple. A few painted large posters were used, as well as a few other props, and was all this show needed as it was more reliant on the physical comedy and the script.
Shown as part of the Sydney Fringe Festival 2024, Karate Man was spectacularly funny and one of the most original interactive shows to hit the stage! Instead of playing video games at home, head out to the PACT Centre for Emerging Artists in Erskineville to have your own personalised adventure with Karate Man.
‘The Bugalugs Bum Thief’. Go on – you can’t resist. Say it out loud. Relish the alliteration and feel the silliness spread across your face. Bum bum bum! Let’s be real folks – the word ‘bum’ is a universal delight! Kids and adults alike can’t help but crack a smile when they hear it. And we get truckloads of bums in this humdinger of a show that’s totally cheeky, totally funny, and totally bonkers!
Adapted for the stage from beloved Aussie writer Tim Winton’s picture book, it’s a wonderful comedic goldmine of humour and wordplay. Not to mention a lesson in surrendering to the ridiculous. With its lighthearted and playful wit, this show is bottomless fun (pardon the bum pun) reminding us not to take ourselves too seriously.
In the crazy crayfishing town of Bugalugs, Skeeta Anderson wakes up to a terrible crisis – his bum’s gone missing! And he’s not the only one – the whole town’s bums have been pilfered! And now they can’t sit down! (cue some fabulous physical comedy) Skeeta embarks on a hilarious hunt to track down the sneakiest thief in town and get his bum back.
The talented trio of Ziggy Resnick, Madeline Li, and Toby Blome truly brought the house (and their pants) down in their ability to tap into the childlike spirit of kids on a mission, perfectly capturing an appetite for the unknown and the mischief that defines childhood.
Ziggy Resnick as Skeeta, embodied the innocence and curiosity of a kid in a ridiculous predicament, defying the limits, bringing a refreshingly genuine spirit to the character that was both heartwarming and hilarious.
Madeline Li and Toby Blome, as Skeeta’s trusty sidekicks, channelled their inner Scooby Doo gang members, displaying some remarkable versatility. They breathed life into a vibrant cast of eccentric Bugalugs townsfolk, including a hapless cop, Skeeta’s bum bereft parents and the intimidating Mrs Misery – complete with fluro-pink dressing gown, shower cap and a terrifying hairbrush – just to name a few.
Stef Furnari, talented percussionist and ‘one-woman band,’ added an extra layer of excitement and energy with her dynamic and lively drumming. These infectious rhythms accompanied several humorous Bugalugs songs and conundrums to great effect.
Audience participation? Of course! Bugalugs school teacher, Mr. Wally took the lead. We played several games of “Heads, Shoulders, Knees” and learned that Mr. Wally’s rule – “keep the ending close to the beginning” – is a sanity-saver during kids News Time. Lauren and James, our brave volunteers, shone bright.
Lauren almost overcame stage fright to share her favourite food, while James regaled us with a harrowing tale of his car hitting a rock and exploding luggage (talk about a show stopping steal!) Then Mr Wally’s bright red boxer shorts made a memorable appearance and everything was back on track.
Kids go wild for bum jokes because they’re the perfect blend of teetering on rude without being crude so this revival is a perfect bum-tastic treat for the funny bone. A marvellous celebration of catchy tunes and all things delightfully playful, superb entertainment for little ones aged 4-12. Now, for the big question…… just who was the brazen bum thief? Nah – that would be telling!
Are children really stinky? How many ‘bot bot’ jokes can you fit into a 45 minute show? And who enjoyed this jam packed, super fun extravaganza more? The adults or the kids? These are extremely important questions if you are aged 4-12 or a grown up who has surrendered to their inner child. In the spirit of ‘Children Are Stinky’, an exciting, award-winning children’s comedy by Circus Trick Tease, the answers ….. will be revealed at the end of this review. Spoiler Alert!
Jason and Kylie (not their real names) take an extra big and farty bow! You two rockstars managed to mesmerise a mob of 150 mini-humans without resorting to TikTok trickery, coolness, or screen time sorcery. Your old-school, analogue awesomeness has earned you a gold star in the annals of kid-entertainment history.
‘Children are Stinky’ dares young adventurers to be smart, imaginative and active. A joyful jamboree of giggles, grins, and triumphant high-fives in a crazy circus celebration of youthful exuberance and laughter.
How truly wonderful to see children bouncing and dancing in their seats, unable to tear their eyes away from the charm of this immensely silly and clever show. What is it about? Well…. nothing, but how nice it is to be alive, move your body and cackle until your bum drops off. It’s like they were stuck in a vortex of pure, unadulterated joy – and honestly, who can blame them? It’s a spectacle so awesomely absurd, you’ll be jiggling along with the kids in no time. Pure bliss erupted when a small but mighty voice cut through the chaos, triumphantly declaring ‘YOU licked it!’ (don’t panic – it was a blackboard) – a hilariously perfect moment that encapsulated the show and elements of audience participation.
The air was electric with squeals of delight, shouts of ‘Higher! Higher!’ as Jason balanced on his head or a chair or over a kid, Kylie dangled from a swing and they both trashed the stage with balloons, puppets, props and nonsense – all set to a soundtrack of upbeat jams. The Parramatta light rail staff on their 100th testing loop were probably scratching their heads, wondering if they’d missed a memo about a spontaneous kindergarten rave party breaking out nearby!
Parents beware – there will soon be a buyers rush and shortage of whoopee cushions. Stock up immediately. They are now more coveted than a selfie with a unicorn. And kids across Western Sydney will be driving their parents bonkers over the holidays as they try to master handstands, drop siblings on their heads (oops!), balance chair towers, juggle (kind of), and probably swing from the clothesline.
This show was perfect stinky holiday entertainment. Get ready to revel in the nostalgia of retro-rad fun and games, and inspire the kids to put down their screens and get playful too! Your kid will love it. You will love it. And let’s be real, the farts are just the cherry on top – don’t pretend you’re not excited!
Answers: 1. Yes, children ARE stinky. But they were ok with that because everyone else is stinky too. 2. How many farts? At least 54. I lost count, but the words and actions never lost impact. 3. Who enjoyed it more? As an ex-kindergarten teacher I can honestly say that apart from writing this review, it was the most fun I’ve had since I had a crush on Greg from that other kids show.
