The impressive sound design (by Kingsley Reeve) was eclectic and masterful and the lighting design (by Matthew Marshall) was both confronting and poignant, matching the theatricality of the show perfectly.

John Sheedy, the new Artistic Director of Barking Gecko Theatre Company, has chosen an imaginative, intricate and difficult text to adapt to the stage.

Shaun Tan’s award winning children’s book The Red Tree is visually rich, however textually scarce. Nevertheless, Sheedy has skillfully directed an aesthetically rich and emotionally drenched experience for children and their families.

The Red Tree not only explores cross-genre art forms on the stage via a series of unusual and complicated imaginative motifs (beautifully designed by Gypsy Taylor), but also imparts the story of a girl who is tying to find her own brightness amongst a very grey world via an alternative theatrical style and process. This is achieved by implementing luxurious scenic images——a feast for the eye——and orchestrating live music which surrounds the girl as she travels across a zany imaginative world.

In Barking Gecko’s reimagining of Tan’s The Red Tree, there is a tree that sheds its leaves inside the girl’s bedroom as she sings, “it’s raining inside my head——so strange”, a gigantic fish that escapes from a treasure chest, a large bottle made of wire, an old diving helmet that lights up, an outlandish board game that ends with the protagonist dressed as a clown and singing “who are you?” and “what are you doing here?”

Additionally, these various images and travelling adventures that Hetherington’s character finds herself in, are juxtaposed with eerie and exciting music from three extremely talented musicians (Dylan Hooper, Clint Bracknell and David Salvaire). The girl (Hetherington) and the three composers all gave full-throttle striking performances that were compelling and completely focused while inviting the audience to create their own meanings from the experiences being viewed on the stage. The impressive sound design (by Kingsley Reeve) was eclectic and masterful and the lighting design (by Matthew Marshall) was both confronting and poignant, matching the theatricality of the show perfectly.

The Red Tree appears simple in its themes but it is actually quite complex. Sheedy’s interpretation of Tan’s illustrations emerge as a psychological and emotional challenge for young people that expertly highlights the lessons that life can often produce such as trying to find the splendor in a confusing world. The directional decision by Sheedy to punctuate the show with stillness, emotive presence, incorporating a winning ensemble cast and an exceptionally innovative design crew is the key to The Red Tree’s success.
Overall, The Red Tree is a production that is fun and emotionally stimulating, purposely avoiding numerous theatrical clichés that are often associated with Theatre for Young People and especially during the school holidays such as the pantomime tradition, slap-stick humour and coarse fairy tale adaptations.

This is a gentle, topical and imaginatively insightful portrait of the inner workings of young people which will naturally inspire interesting and difficult questions.

Reviewer: Rachael Hains-Wesson

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