The Great Un-Wondering of Wilbur Whittaker, Barking Gecko Theatre ·
Heath Ledger Theatre, 9 April 2022 ·
Junior review by Jackson Davis, age 11 ·

My first impression of The Great Un-Wondering of Wilbur Whittaker was walking into the theatre and sitting down with a massive red curtain in front of us, and somebody was sticking their hand out from behind the curtain making funny gestures. This was how I guessed it was going to be a fun show! 

Wilbur Whittaker is a marvellous play about a person named Wilbur, played by Adriano Cappelletta. It shows how as a child he wondered about things a lot, but slowly, as he got older, he lost that wonder inside him. Eventually he gave it away to the “Bureau of Wonder”. With the feeling that something was missing inside him, he teamed up with his guardian of wonder, Princess Fantastic (Grace Chow), to get his wonder back.

The play used a wide variety of techniques to make the show fun and engaging, such as quick scene changes, lights, projections on the screen, pop-out things and dynamically changing the set while the characters walked around it. They used some epic, inspiring music which really set the scene for the show.

The actors did a great job of engaging the audience of kids and adults, while the effects also gave off a special magical feeling around the stage. They did an excellent job of making people laugh.

Read Seesaw’s adult review of The Great Un-Wondering of Wilbur Whittaker.

I thought the performers achieved what they set out to do, which was to show people how it is OK to not be the exact same as everyone else. They also showed us that it is OK to wonder as an individual and that you shouldn’t stop wondering as you grow older.

My favourite character was the fox named Francis, played by Luke Hewitt. This small red fox puppet was the funniest character although my mum loved Princess Fantastic. My favourite scene of the show was the part where Wilbur rode on a bird. It was made using puppets, and light was going everywhere, there was smoke, and it was one of the coolest effects I’ve ever seen!

I felt inspired by the end of the performance, and liked everything about it, though Mum and I thought a short intermission might have been a good idea.

I would definitely recommend Wilbur Whittaker to people around the age of 10 and above although I think it would be enjoyed by everyone who watched it. 

The Great Un-Wondering of Wilbur Whittaker tours Karratha, Bunbury and Albany until 19 May 2022.

Pictured top: Princess Fantastic (played by Grace Chow) with Wilbur Whittaker (Adriano Cappelletta). Photo: Stewart Thorpe Photography