The Giant’s Garden: A touching farewell
Slingsby transforms Oscar Wilde’s tale into a luminous puppet fable
There’s something magical about walking through Adelaide Botanic Garden in the rain as the plants and trees open up and the earth smells good, to find yourself in front of Slingsby’s Wandering Hall Of Possibility. The little wooden travelling theatre looks like it’s always sat beside Plane Tree Lawn. When settling in, listening to the rain pattering on its canvas roof feels like you’re setting yourself up for something very special indeed. We are safe, we are warm and we are about to journey in wonder together.
The Giant’s Garden is the second in a trilogy of tales called A Concise Compendium Of Wonder, all playing at various times and dates until March 15. Each is a self-contained story, so you can see any play in any order, or copy the couple on the next row along who are spending the whole day in the Garden to see the triptych. This is the final Slingsby production before the company closes, and on current evidence that closure is a crime: Adelaide is losing one of its cultural treasures, although you’ve got to respect that they’re going out with a bang rather than a whimper.
The Giant’s Garden is the retelling of Oscar Wilde’s The Selfish Giant. It’s a simple enough fable: the children love playing in a special tree, a giant comes and chases them away, the tree starts to die, Ida the outsider, accompanied by her intrepid snail companion (and how many times do you get to say that?), finds her courage, makes friends and saves the day. That this tips into wider geopolitical concerns around the hoarding of natural resources and the impact that has on our shared planet will not be lost on adults. Maybe we should all be a bit more Ida.
The staging is simply beautiful, using light, shadow and puppetry to conjure up a whole world. The realisation of the giant in particular works perfectly, sending a shiver up the spine of even the most cynical audience member. It would have been great to see more young people in the audience, though (it’s designed to be enjoyed by ages 8+) as it’s the kind of show that will utterly capture their imagination. In fact, it’s all such a treat, a gentle jewel in the Festival’s crown. Catch it while you can and give Slingsby the send-off they deserve.
The Giant’s Garden continues in The Wandering Hall Of Possibility in Adelaide Botanic Garden until March 15; picture: eyefood.