I’ve come to realise that my house is overflowing with stuff I don’t even use!
Instead of adding to this chaos, I’m on a mission to pare back and invest in experiences that create lasting memories with my family. Who needs more things when you can have more fun?
This year has already been a whirlwind of excitement! We’ve got tickets to THE KID LAROIcoming up in just a few weeks, and I can hardly wait!
And the fun doesn’t stop there! Here’s what’s lined up for our concert calendar: Billie Eilish is next year’s girls’ night out, followed by Katy Perry because fun with my girls is always a blast!
If you’re looking for fun ways to keep the smiles coming, look no further! There’s an amazing selection of family-friendly shows that everyone will love, including:
Plus, with a variety of theatre and arts events available, there’s something for everyone to enjoy and inspire creativity. These shows are perfect for creating lasting memories with your loved ones.
With Christmas and the holidays fast approaching, I’ve realised it’s time to think differently about gifts. Instead of more clutter, why not surprise your loved ones with tickets to unforgettable experiences? 🎁 There’s something so special about sharing a moment together that will be cherished for years to come.
Here’s a quick list of shows and events for you to explore:
Arj Barker – Friday 1 Nov at Sutherland Performing Arts Centre
Anh Do – The Happiest Refugee Live! – 14 November, Enmore Theatre, Newtown NSW
Eric Idle – Always Look On The Bright Side of Life, LIVE! November – Gold Coast, Adelaide, Canberra and Melbourne
So, let’s fill our calendars with laughter and unforgettable moments instead of clutter! What experiences are you planning to treat your family to this holiday season?
Please note: I am an affiliate for Ticketek and love having fun experiences with the family. Make sure to check out if there is anyone you love coming to your home city and book the tickets!
Last Thursday (16th of January 2020) I took Alexander to see the stage show of “The Snail and The Whale”, the show ended on the 21st of January.
The stage for the show The Snail and The Whale at the Opera House.
I wanted to expose Alexander to more theatre and something that would be just for him and not his sisters.
I purchased the tickets and then decided to get the book of the Snail and the Whale by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler. It is an award-winning picture book, and like the rest of their work, it is fun and has wonderful pictures.
Alexander told me that there is a fire truck on stage.. not a real one, it was a toy. Alexander loves fire trucks.
Alexander takes a while to warm up to new books and when I originally got him Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler’s Stick Man he took a year for him to become interested and then obsessed with Stick Man, and this followed with the Gruffalo, Zog the Flying Doctors and I thought it would continue with The Snail and the Whale.
The book of the Snail and the Whale was given to Alexander for his Christmas present and he was interested but lost interest after about 2-3 pages. I read it to him nightly and we managed to the end a few times. I thought I was winning as Alexander didn’t know that he was going to see the stage show of the same book.
I had no idea what the show would be like, but thought it might follow the book. It did, but with the injection of Father and Daughter characters that told the story of the snail and the whale.
The snail was represented by a stuffed toy and also some wooden models, and the whale creativity came into being after the cast maneuvered the bed, bookcase, and armchair to create the whale.
There were a few times where they wanted audience participation and some pantomime fun too. The kids were busy yelling, screaming and laughing about where the daughter was hiding and to great glee pointing out where she was hiding to the Dad.
I think that this show was just the right length for my little boy, however, there were moments that Alexander seemed more taken with his seat and straddling the armrests like he was a gymnast and balancing on the top of the seat before it gets put down. (these are the seats that rise up if you are not sitting on them. He thought this was rather entertaining.
Alexander waiting for the show to start. We were getting excited to see The Snail and The Whale.
For my little boy, he loved the action and the fun of the kids yelling to the actors, and some of the story. However, I think he is a little young to take in the story, it needs to be more action-packed for my little person.
I did note that other kids of similar ages sat very well and were not doing tricks on their chairs like mine was. Maybe it was his age, maybe it is just getting used to the theatre or needing to have a show that is more action-packed for my little boy that he was a little bit fidgety. I am not sure…. but I think it was a good experience for him to be there.
Mummy and Alexander enjoying the harbour
So what did I think?
I thought that the way they brought the story to the stage was interesting with the inclusion of the Father and Daughter characters, but for little kids maybe it was too much dialogue. I know it is based on the book and the words and some parts were directly taken from the Snail and the Whale, however maybe for future it could be more visual and action-packed.
I liked how the cast involved the audience with some dancing and games, and of course when the kids were yelling at the cast about where each person was extremely fun (Alexander loved this and couldn’t stop laughing and smiling at me during this section of the show).
Before the show, Alexander and I had a drink and a bite to eat at the Opera Bar. He had honey toast and bacon, while I had a coffee and some toast.
Relaxing at the Opera Bar, Sydney.
Alexander was very happy after food, if he doesn’t’ eat regularly he is a very grumpy person. Having a happy and fed kid before a show at the Opera House was key.
Enjoying some bacon before the show at the Opera Bar, Opera House, Sydney.
While we were eating at the Opera Bar, Alexander noticed the water slide on the top of a cruise ship that was in the harbour. He was super excited about it. He then told me, “Mumma after the show we are going on the slide”
The cruise ship that Alexander wanted to go on. Geez, I just got tickets to a show at the Opera House and now this kid wants to go on a cruise.
I then tried to explain that we cannot go on this water slide. He said, “We can Mumma!” I said that only people that paid to go on the big cruise ship can go on this slide, and said that maybe one day we can go on a cruise and then we can play on the slide.
The slide Alexander wanted to go on..however, it was on a cruise ship and we were not passengers.
After seeing The Snail and the Whale there was some free play at the Opera House. There were heaps of pool noodles with connectors for kids to push and to attach into wooden holes. Alexander loved this. He spent ages connecting noodles together and even moved things together to attach different groups together.
Free creative noodle play at the Opera House.
I think Alexander loved his time in the city and I hope that he enjoyed his theatre experience.
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The actual date we attended was in March and I was happy that the kids were still excited, even though I gave it to them in December of the previous year.
To make the whole event more fun we made a weekend of it in the city. I booked a hotel right next to the Capitol Theatre in Sydney, it was so close that we just had to walk next door to fall into our beds after the show.
The day of the show the kids and I trained it in and managed to check in earlier than expected. This allowed us to leave our bags in the room and to then explore Sydney for the day.
Our show was at 7.30pm at night so I had a whole day to fill with the twins. So what did we get up to?
We looked at shops in the QVB
We walked around Paddies Markets
Had Yum Cha in Chinatown
We all got manicures
Went to Myer and David Jones to check out what is there
Looked at the toys at Myer
Walked back to the hotel to rest and then change for the show
What did we think of the show?
The girls were super excited and so was I. We all had never been to the Capitol Theatre before, I must say that the detail of the theatre is amazing. So much detail, statues and more! A very old world theatre experience.
We were super early for the show and decided to get drinks and pre-dinner snacks. Once we dined on our treats and ate some food it was finally ready to enter the theatre. I had organised seats that were so close to the stage…the kids were amazed at how close we were.
We sat down and looked at the fabulous theatre while waiting for the show to start.
We were only 3 rows away from the stage…. how fantastic!
The backdrop of the set was the Willy Wonka Factory, and left of the stage was the Bucket house and the right of the stage was the candy shop that Charlie Bucket frequented drooling over chocolate bars that he couldn’t afford.
The way they moved between the Bucket house and the candy shop was very clever. Once Charlie was in the candy shop, the shop owner was enticing him to buy…but Charlie couldn’t. Also, Charlie had no idea that the Candy Man was indeed Willy Wonka himself.
Willy Wonka was very boom tish and so were some of the other characters, some lines were hilariously funny.
Two very excited kids waiting to see the show! I must say I was excited too!
Once they moved to Willy Wonka’s factory the background changed digitally to create the vibrantly colourful world of the Wonka Factory. Seeing Roald Dahl’s story come to life on stage was so magical.
The cast did an awesome job and they had such personality and presence.
Violet and Mr Beauregard had such great interaction between each other, every time they smiled and winked I couldn’t help but laugh. Also when Violet Beauregard became a huge purple grape and then finally popped it was so well done.
Augustus and Mrs Gloop were amazing as well, so funny and naughty. You actually forgot that these people were actors and not the actual characters from the film.
Jake Fehily – Augustus Gloop- Octavia-Barron-Martin-Mrs-Gloop-and cast in CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY
The glass elevator was magical too…yes more magic. It looked like it was actually moving. The background was stunning and created such a great effect.
The Glass Elevator: Ryan Yeates as Charlie and Paul Slade Smith as Willy Wonka in CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY, photo from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory website.
The whole show looked stunning and was so enjoyable for kids and adults.
We loved the show and if you want to go, please do, you will LOVE IT!
There are so many fun activities that will help kids learn and know more about Charlie and The Chocolate Factory. There is English activities, Visual Arts, Dance, Drama, Media Arts, and Music. Not only can teachers freely download the packs to help with their class but parents can do so too. I downloaded mine to help my kids before we saw the show.
You can also re-read the book again or get it as an audio book to help inspire the work or refamiliarise yourself with the story again. Below is a quote from the Education Pack Writers, Elia Erez and David Perry about the worksheets and activities.
“Charlie and the Chocolate Factory offers an excellent opportunity to explore the Australian Curriculum, with specific references to English, and The Arts (Dance, Drama, Media Arts, Music
and Visual Arts) as well as all seven of the General Capabilities (Literacy, Numeracy, Intercultural Understanding, Information & Communication Technology, Critical & Creative Thinking, Personal & Social Capability AND Ethical Understanding). These relationships to the production are examined in the document CONNECTIONS TO THE AUSTRALIAN CURRICULUM. We trust that the activities and resources in this Education Pack will provide teachers with the ability to fully appreciate the educational opportunities of this
spectacular musical production. Using Charlie and the Chocolate Factory as a focus, this Education Pack contains engaging activities that can be used by teachers, or even keen fans of Roald Dahl who want to gain a richer understanding of the production.” Eli Erez and David Perry Education Pack Writers, for Charlie and The Chocolate Factory the Musical.
I booked the family room which had 1 queen sized bed and a single bed. Just perfect for 2 kids and 1 adult.
The hotel was not flash but was just what we needed. Beds and close by to the theatre.
Our family room at the Capitol Square Hotel
See how close we were to the Capitol Theatre
Have you seen Charlie and The Chocolate Factory? If so what were your thoughts?
I’m aiming to have more theatre experiences this year rather than buying things.
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UPDATE: The Opera was put on hold. Once cast member broke their leg and the replacement is having a baby. So it has been rescheduled for next term. Glad we won’t miss it but was looking forward to it.
This is my post to make you all jealous. Yes you read that right. I fear that this will make you all green with envy. Just what about you ask and wonder?
Next Friday I am off to see Opera Australia perform “The Barber of Seville” at the twins school. Yes the opera! The Australian Opera is coming to perform. Not only are they going to showcase a wonderful story to the kids and open them up to costumes, the stage and great performances but they are allowing parents to tag along free! Yes FREE!
Well as long as I can find a seat that is. Would sitting on the floor be o.k if I was not in the way? How early is too early to wait to make sure I get seat? Should I turn up 30mins before the performance? Not sure what to do here….there might be heaps of interest and maybe none.
I have paid for the kids to go and now I am super excited for my day at the opera. Should I dress up? Or just wear jeans and a t-shirt? I was thinking of the big hat and annoying people behind me with my swanky outfit, but that will not be happening. I have no swanky big hat and don’t think I can muster up a fancy outfit even in a weeks notice. Maybe smart casual and some makeup is what is going to actually happen.
My nana (the girls GG) loves going to the Opera House due to loving Opera, but that is not the only reason. One major reason is that they have all sorts of people come to their performances of Opera, comedy, symphony and more. Dress is not a major thing that is noted. Nana loves it that she can be with people in thongs, jeans and a t-shirt who are passionate about the arts, you also get people who are in designer frocks and all the accessories that go with it.
It is great that the Australian Opera is giving the kids a chance to experience opera and these types of performances. I grew up going to the theatre and saw many operas so I know it is going to make an impression. Making art available for all kids to experience is a good thing and many kids don’t get the opportunity to go to the opera or even a live performance of a play.
I bet you are now very jealous of me going to the opera next Friday while you might be at work or at lunch. I will think of you while having a nice pleasant midday matinee performance of “The Barber of Seville”. Wish me luck in getting a seat for the show next Friday, and then I will be able to enjoy it in style rather than trying to get room on the floor.
What have you been jealous of lately? Has someone won something? Did a certain someone get tickets or go somewhere you have always wanted to go? Let us know.
