Tinkerbell and the Dream Fairies

Tinkerbell and the Dream Fairies is playing at the Athenaeum Theatre in Melbourne as part of the summer season produced by The Australian Shakespeare Company. In a magical fusion of fairy worlds, Tinkerbell from Neverland and the four fairies from Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, join for a magical adventure to Bubble Land.

Tinkerbell (Cameron Shook) is the tinkering fairy who fixes things and is in a fairy huff; after her frolic in the lake, her wings were swept away by a gust of wind. When the four fairies Moth (Sue-Ellen Shook), Pease blossom (Ellie Hannah Carroll), Cobweb (Ciera Shook and Mustard Seed (Coleman Shook) roll up with merry good cheer - just going about their fairy business until they realise, they have lost their way - they notice Tinkerbell in a tither. They offer to help her find her wings and help each other fly home safely.

Sue-Ellen Shook, an Internationally acclaimed performer and dancer, has crafted and choreographed an imaginative and interactive show designed for pre-schoolers. She is also performing with her three children and along with other cast members they have brought to life a splendid mix of fairy worlds. From the onset, the audience members (who are also requested to wear fairy outfits) become part of the performance. Shook and cast members keep the fairy audience engaged and active with movement and song.

In a one-hour long show, where children sing along with catchy repetitive tunes, we see the robustly talented Coleman Shook as the clumsy Mustard Seed. Upon request from other fairies with hand gestures and a tuneful “Get it right” from cast and audience - he bumbles across the stage with hilarious somersaulting antics. With Tinkerbell concerned that she might never get back to Neverland, they all venture into Bubble Land, where the theatre is showered with bubbles. 

The entire team offer exciting and generous performances that entertain and enchant their young audience with positive and energetic fun-loving songs, story, and dance. The set is decorated with big sunflowers and other forest ephemera and the costumes are intricately designed to reflect the colourful world that they inhabit.

A delightfully charming show! 

Flora Georgiou

Photographer: Ben Fon