Tell the kids that you are taking them to see a play and they are likely to say they would rather stay at home and play in their tree house.
Or worse still. "Plays are boring. Go climb a tree!"
But hang on a bit. What if the play was about a tree house. A 13-storey one to be precise and one beyond their wildest imaginings. From the mind of well-known and much loved author Andy Griffiths comes a tree-house that has a bowling alley, a secret laboratory for cooking up concoctions, a vegetable vaporiser and even a marshmallow machine that shoots marshmallows into your mouth whenever you're hungry. It even follows you around!
Image from andygriffiths.com.au
Griffiths thinks like a kid and it has been to his advantage when it comes to entertaining our young.
Most kids will have avidly read the 13-Storey Treehouse. Now this imaginative tale has been turned into a play by Richard Tulloch.
As you would expect it's kid-paced mayhem. The key figures are Andy and Terry who of course are based on Andy Griffiths and his writing partner Terry Denton. The duo are played by Andrew Johnston & Matthew Lilley . Expect something in the vicinity of flying cats, a mermaid, a sea monster, an invasion of monkeys, and a giant gorilla all with the aid of 3D machine. The kids will be in stitches. It will get them away from their screens and using their imaginations. And hopefully designing their own 13-Storey treehouse in their heads at l the very least.
The production has just had a sell-out season at the Sydney Opera House. Now it is touring the rest of Australia. Best suited for children 6-12.
Andy Griffiths and Terry Denton. Image from andygriffiths.com.au
It will be in Melbourne for the next April school holidays
5 Apr 2014 - 13 Apr 2014
Arts Centre Melbourne, 100 St Kilda Rd, MELBOURNE Map it
Ages:
School Age (5-9), Teenage (10 )
Cost:Tickets from $24
Bookings
click here
A cheaper option however might be head down to Frankston. You could spend some time at the beach while you are there.
Frankston Art Centre
Monday 28 April
6.00pm
Cost: Full $16.00, Family (4) $56.00 60 minutes, no interval
Bookings and Enquiries: Box Office 9784 1060
Colac
Colac Otways Performing Arts & Cultural Centre (COPACC)
May 2
Bookings
here or Phone (03) 5232 2077
Geelong
Geelong Performing Arts Centre
May 3
Bookings
here or Phone (03) 5225 1200
Shepparton
Eastbank Centre
May 10
Bookings
here or Phone (03) 5832 9511
NSW
Casula
Casula Powerhouse
March 28
Bookings
here or Phone 02 9824 1121
Wollongong
Merrigong Theatre
April 15 - 16
Bookings
here or Phone 02 4224 5999
Parramatta
Riverside Theatres, Parramatta
May 21 - 22
Bookings
here or Phone 02 8839 3399
Penrith
Joan Sutherland Performing Arts Centre
May 23 - 24
Bookings
here or Phone 02 4723 7600
Gosford
Laycock Street Theatre
May 26
Bookings
here or Phone: 02 4323 3233
Port Macquarie
The Glasshouse
May 28
Bookings
here or Phone 02 6581 8888
Dubbo
Dubbo Regional Theatre & Convention Centre
June 27
Bookings
here : or Phone 02 6801 4378
QLD
Brisbane
QUT Gardens Theatre
June 16 – 21
Bookings
here or Phone 07 3138 4455
Mackay
Mackay Entertainment & Convention Centre
June 5
Bookings
here or Phone (07) 4961 9777
Cairns
Cairns Civic Theatre
June 10
Bookings
here or Phone 1300 855 835
Toowoomba
Empire Theatre
June 23 - 24
Bookings
here or Phone 1300 655 299
More Regional Queensland tour dates to be announced soon.
ACT
Canberra
Canberra Theatre Centre
May 15 – 17
Bookings
here or Phone (02) 6275 2700
SA
Adelaide
Adelaide Festival Centre
July 2 – 7
Bookings
here or Phone Bass ticketing on 131 246
WA
Perth
State Theatre Centre
July 15 – 20
Booking
here : or Phone Ticketek on 1300 795 012
Albany
Albany Entertainment Centre
July 12
Bookings
here or Phone (08) 9844 5005
Mandurah
Mandurah Performing Arts Centre
July 25
Bookings
here or Phone (08) 9550 3900