Before entering the Planetarium, we were each given a set of headphones, a playbill that unfolds into a poster, as well as a sachet instructing us to “open [ it ] at the right moment”. When we entered the venue, we found our seats and waited with our headphones on. After a few safety checks, every light source was suppressed and the play opened with an upbeat musical number. It quickly became clear that when they said “a musical in the dark” they were being quite literal. My initial response was a mixture of bewilderment and dread, having already known how difficult it is for me to picture settings and action based on descriptions alone. In a way it was like listening to an audiobook, except you couldn’t really rewind if you spaced out (as I did often). Not to mention, we were pretty much sitting in a giant ball with zero light and I spent too much time being hyper aware of that. I did eventually settle into the experience, and I actually managed to open the sachet at the right moment.

In addition to the headphones, other sensory features were implemented to further immerse the audience into the story; Every time the Jellyfish zapped somebody, the theatre seats would vibrate. The mysterious sachet contained two gummy worms, which we were meant to open when one of the characters ate a piece of candy. When a raging tempest arose in Aura, I felt drops of water fall on my hands, which I can only assume came from the sprinklers. A floral scent was sprayed throughout the room to simulate the scent of flowers (though I did not catch this one myself), and the list goes on.

However, there were a few creative decisions that confused me; The cast was composed of four actors who each played four or five characters each, which was disorienting and made it harder to distinguish between the characters. MaryLou’s voice actor in particular, Sandie Von Brockdorff, dazzled with her vocals during the musical numbers, but she didn’t remotely sound like a kid and that took me out of the experience. If your play depends on the audience being able to picture what they’re hearing, then shouldn’t your protagonist’s voice match the character? With all the effort and detail that was put into the production, this oversight irks me somewhat. While I’m not saying they should’ve put a primary school student in that recording booth, perhaps someone with a higher-pitched voice would’ve been a better fit for the role of an eight-year-old. 

On the other hand, Rachel Fabri’s performance as Peppa, an elderly woman who develops a bond with MaryLou, was a standout for me personally. Fabri’s imitation of an old lady was very believable, and were it not for the playbill I probably would’ve been questioning the actress’ age. As for the music, composer Luke Saydon, sound designer Matteo Depares and pianist Veronique Vella did an impressive job; there were definitely a few songs I’d like to listen to again. The impassioned duet between MaryLou’s two dads Mike (William Shackleton) and Dave (Jake Sawyers) in particular delivered a powerful emotional punch. As someone who honestly wasn’t entirely sure what was happening at the time narratively, it was enough to make me tear up.