It’s been a very long time since I’ve seen a theatre production aimed specifically at young children so I was curious to take up an invitation from the Tim Bray Theatre Company to see its latest show Mrs Wishy Washy at The Pumphouse Theatre in Auckland.
This piece is based on the best-selling book series of the same name by Joy Cowley and it features the eponymous Mrs W who is a somewhat anal farmer’s wife who is ironically averse to dirt and insists on regularly washing her three favourite animals – Pig, Cow, and Duck.
The show opens the day before the local Big Farm Fair in which Mrs W hopes to win a coveted prize – the award for the cleanest, neatest, tidiest, and sweetest farm animals. The problem is Pig, Duck, and Cow have a penchant for mud and spend their time trying to get as filthy as possible.
A side plot in the story is that the Fair Day is also Mrs Wishy Washy’s birthday and her husband has made a very delicious looking cake, but with three hungry animals on the loose it may not last the day.
So the big questions are – will Mrs Wishy Washy manage to keep the animals clean long enough to win the big prize? And, will she have a lovely birthday and enjoy her cake?
Since the show is going on tour, I won’t spoil the ending in this review!
The staging and costuming are great and many of the technical aspects are cleverly innovative. In once case, the depiction of a flood emanating from a blocked sink was genius. My favourite scene involved a car wash with disco dancing brushes wearing sparkly body suits and sporting afros.
Another great touch was creating anthropomorphic animals who speak perfect english until either one of their human minders turn up.
Mrs Wishy Washy is a sweet little tale with jaunty songs that will appeal to the kids its aimed at and judging by the laughter of many adults in the theatre, their parents as well.
MRS WISHY WASHY
By Joy Cowley
Adapted for the stage by Tim Bray
Songs by Christine White
21 Sept – 18 Oct 2024
Created for Ages: 3 – 8
Show Run Time: 60 mins (no interval)
Auckland Regional Tour