Show Day, Spare Parts Puppet Theatre 
Ellie Eaton Theatre, Claremont Showground, 8 April 2023 
Reviewed by Isabel Greentree (age 13) 

It’s Show Day! Created by Michael Barlow and Ellis Pearson and directed by Barlow, Show Day explores all the fun and excitement of the many different parts of the annual agricultural show. 

Held at the Claremont Showground, it feels weird to walk straight into the deserted venue and even stranger to walk into one of the pavilions and see it transformed into a theatre. There is a large area set up as a model of the showground and before the show starts, the audience is invited to us craft supplies to contribute to the model in any way they like. This is a great way to get everyone into a Show Day mood.   

Once in the theatre area, the performers (Barlow, Pearson, Nadia Martich and Bec Bradley) use the unusual setting to their advantage, and the performance is fun and fast-paced. There are seats in tiers like a grandstand and the stage is fairly simple but very effective. Cushions at the front, along with plenty of room between the rows of chairs, make the space ideal for an interactive show. 

Show Day opens with a baking competition, where the two judges, Madge and Karen, evaluate the audience’s quality as assorted fruitcakes, sponges and biscuits, causing a lot of laughter. We meet a number of characters involved in the show and the strands of the story are brought together via a lost chicken as it finds its way around.  

We meet Barry the handyman and the woodcutters, who take a swipe at the escaping chicken. We see the sheepdog trials, the shearers giving the sheep a new look; the show jumpers, Madge and Karen, weaving the wool into yarn; and even a fashion parade. The sideshow alley advertises its wares, and Barry, unable to locate the fireworks, gets everyone to pitch in to end the show with something to remember. 

The show is very interactive and enjoyable. The performers frequently interact with the audience, involving children and adults, with the children enjoying the physical humour and the adults enjoying the dialogue.  The costumes are simple but effective, and different kinds of puppets are used in creative ways to convey the strands of the story.   

Barry somehow manages to express a full range of emotions despite wearing an unmoving mask, thanks to the skill of the performer (Pearson).  My favourite puppet is the chicken, which has bundles of personality as it makes its way around the showgrounds, getting into trouble but managing to escape every time.  

The lighting and music are used very effectively to highlight certain parts of the performance and to evoke emotions. Several songs, likely familiar only to older members of the audience, contribute to the humour.  The lighting is also used to mark the passing of time during the long day, especially as the show draws to an end with fireworks in the evening. 

Overall, I think that this is a wonderful performance and well suited to the different venue, making the most of the extra space and setting. Children of all ages, as well as their parents, will enjoy Show Day, with everyone being drawn into the story. 

Show Day is at Ellie Eaton Theatre, Claremont Showground, until 22 April 2023.

Pictured top: The chicken, with Nardia Martich, leads everyone a merry dance. Photo: Nic Duncan