A story on friendship {Review of The Way Back Home}

When we knew that we were going to watch I Theatre's The Way Back Home, I was determined to lay my hands on this classic book of Oliver Jeffers so that the kids could get acquainted with the story first. Yes, I realised they would enjoy and relate to the show much more if they were familiar with the plot and characters.

It wasn't as easy as I expected because despite making two trips to two different libraries which indicated that the book was available in their online catalogue, one of which took us an one-hour bus ride to get to, we searched around and were eventually told that the book could not be found. Nonetheless, it pays to persevere so I made a reservation with NLB and a week later, we could finally read The Way Back Home during our bedtime story session! Woohoo!

The story revolves around how a boy got stuck on the moon and eventually became friends with a Martian. Together, they overcame obstacles and helped each other to find their way back home. The girls loved the story and were intrigued with the alien character. So to get them ready for the day of the show, we had a lot of fun doing our own DIY alien masks which I will share more with you in Creativity 521 next week.

We were all set for the show to begin! Look, Ariel said she had four eyes while Angel had five, that would ensure that we did not miss any bit of the performance! Haha! The show was held at the newly renovated Alliance Française which had limited parking lots, so we were lucky that we arrived early. The hubby had to park his car at Balmoral Plaza which was just a short walk away. We realised there is a nice restaurant called Waffletown which sells yummy burgers, fried chicken and ice cream waffles there!

The show started off with a girl who was looking for the boy, which was different from the book but slowly, as she in turn became the 'alien' and went on a inter-galactic adventure adventure with the boy, the kids were able to relate to the story yet were still excited to see what happened next. I was particularly struck by the opening that made references to other classic children books by Oliver Jeffers, including the star in How to Catch A Star and the penguin in Lost and Found which we have both read before. It was also quite sweet that the boy always had his penguin with him when watching his favourite shows on the TV!

We were very much entertained by the catchy songs and cute dancing that accompanied the story. Many of the kids in the audience were also thrilled by the interactive elements like how they helped to start the engine and used the rope to pull the boy up to the moon. The hubby was also inspired by the aeroplane and spaceship props (the latter could even light up!) and decided that one day we might just do a submarine one for the kids. For us, the most memorable scene was when the Martian spoke in a alien language which was made up of a string of "Mini-Me"s. Obviously, the girls were hysterical about it and you can imagine how they both tried to converse in an alien language after the show.

I also loved the last scene when the boy was staring into outer space and possibly missing his newfound friend. The ending was a happy yet poignant one and we could not help but wonder whether this pair of good friends would ever have the chance to meet again. Of course, the fact that no one knows made it possible for the kids to use their imagination and determine what would happen in their own versions of the story.

There, we managed to take a group picture with the talented two-member cast who were fascinated with our little aliens! I would say that we did enjoy the 50-minute show and were kept entertained throughout. The good thing is from now on, we will have even more to talk about whenever we read this delightful book of Oliver Jeffers!

If your kids love theatrical plays as much as mine do, here's a recap on the details and how you can still catch The Way Back Home!

Event Details 

Date: 12 to 20 September 2015

Venue: Alliance Française Theatre, Sarkies Road

Recommended for: Anyone 3 years old and above (All patrons will require a ticket to enter)

Duration: 50 minutes with no interval

Ticket Pricing: Adult/ Child - $32.00
                             Family Package (4 Persons) - $121.60
                             Big Family Package (5 Persons) - $144.00

Tickets are now available through www.sistic.com.sg, SISTIC Hotline (65) 6348 5555 and all SISTIC authorised agents.

Disclosure: We received a media invite and complimentary tickets to The Way Back Home. All opinions are our own.