Wolfgang in the Stars

Step aside, gravity! Wolfgang in the Stars is ready for lift off. Blending lashings of Mozart, a sprinkle of space dust, and a whole heap of heart, Circa’s latest production catapults audiences into an intergalactic adventure that’s as whimsical as it is wondrous. Part circus, part concert, part cosmic fever dream, this world premiere blasts off from the Concert Hall stage and soars straight into the stars, bringing joy to every earthling in its path.

At the centre of this celestial caper is Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart himself, reimagined as a ringmaster on a mission to complete his latest masterpiece. When he finds himself stuck searching for that final elusive note in “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star”, he and his loyal friend Bear build a spaceship and head to the stars for some inspiration. What follows is a charmingly absurd and surprisingly touching voyage through space, time, and friendship.

The storytelling is delivered with great imagination and visual ingenuity that it never feels condescending to its audience. It’s a joy to find a children’s show that leans into such surrealism with confidence: at one point we meet four Mozarts and four Bears during a chaotic moment of multiverse mayhem (naturally also including some dancing space dinosaurs). Best if you don’t try to make too much logical sense of it—just strap in and enjoy the ride.

Director Yaron Lifschitz and the Circa Ensemble blend traditional circus acts with a buffet of other creative treats. The show includes plate spinning, poi twirling, tumbling, shadow puppetry, live-feed overhead camera work, acrobatics, juggling, and live musical performance, all choreographed with exacting precision and performed with joyous abandon. It’s a sensory feast that’s never overwhelming, just beautifully, boldly inventive.

The integration of big screen video projections is particularly clever. Watching the performers build a spaceship using tape on the floor while the audience sees the shape come together from an overhead camera is a moment of pure theatrical delight—one of many. The shadow puppetry, too, is charmingly low-fi and a wonderful narrative tool that cleverly draws the youngest audience members into the story.

Physically, the cast are sensational. The acrobatics are everything we’ve come to expect from Circa: daring, muscular, lyrical. There’s also a healthy dose of clowning and slapstick, with perfectly executed pratfalls, one extremely well-timed fart joke, and exaggerated facial expressions that have the kids (and let’s be honest, me) in stitches. Their comedic timing is impeccable, particularly in the dinosaur chase scene, which spirals into delightful nonsense before being lovingly wrangled back to order by the Bear.

Speaking of the Bear, whether spinning hoops, balancing objects, or gently guiding Mozart through an emotional wobble, this furry companion is a crowd favourite. The final reunion between Mozart and the Bear is unexpectedly moving—a tender nod to the show’s themes of perseverance, creativity, and connection.

The music, drawn from Mozart with some original tunes by Quincy Grant who performs live on clarinet and wind synthesiser, is a central star in its own right. Grant is part musician, part character, part mischief-maker, interacting with the audience and performers with expressive flourishes. His presence adds both humour and gravitas to the show’s emotional beats, and his clarinet solo in the multiverse scene is a quietly magical moment of poetry in all the playful chaos.

Costumes by Libby McDonnell are bright and imaginative, with Wolfgang’s pink and gold frock coat and white wig perfectly pitched for visual clarity and comic effect. Lighting and design elements transport us from the Concert Hall in Brisbane to the outer reaches of the imagination—rainbow light-up juggling pins, hoops and poi, and twinkling fairy lights scattered across the black backdrop create an atmosphere that’s more stardust than stage light.

Wolfgang in the Stars may have been created for children, but like all the best stories, it reaches across age brackets to speak to something deeply human: our desire to create, to connect, and to wonder. It’s a show that reminds us not to take the shortest route from A to B, because sometimes the best ideas come from floating off-course and discovering something strange, sparkly, and utterly delightful.

If you’ve got little ones in tow—or even just a little one still gleaming inside you—go see this show! It’s one of the standout joys of this year’s Out of the Box Festival and a shining example of why Circa continues to set the bar for all-ages theatre. It’s joyful, imaginative, and just the right amount of ridiculous. 5/5 twinkling stars!

Kitty Goodall

Photography by David Kelly