Patch Theatre. 14 Aug 2026

 

It’s quite a show that can hold both adults and children spellbound. Me and My Shadow (MaMS for brevity) is that show. We all love a bit of shadow play, and while MaMS has plenty of it, it takes that extra step into magic and mystery (how do they do that?!), delighting and entertaining the entire audience.

 

Artistic Director Geoff Cobham has brought back original cast members Astrid Pill and Nathan O’Keefe for this anniversary show and it’s a lovely touch; they bring as much energy and playfulness to their work as they did all those years ago. Astrid as the little girl who discovers her shadow brings a lovely whimsy to the role, while Nathan plays the Shadow as cheeky but entirely loveable.

 

To the accompaniment of Zoe Barry’s musical score, the shadow play develops subtly but inevitably, from when the girl first discovers the Shadow, to the natural development of his own character. Many of us had an imaginary friend when we were young and this blend of physical theatre, of colour play, and sound makes that experience all the more magical.

 

The pair play well together; their familiarity works to keep the flow natural and gentle, and each surprise is dealt with as a thing of wonder by each of them. In your imagination, anything can happen, and in this show just about everything does. Arms that stretch forever, lights that fly through the sky, robots that wear paper bags – as long as you think it’s real, it is!

 

Lighting is everything in shadow play, and Geoff Cobham brings his long experience to this show, there were moments when each of us wanted to jump and be the small person or the giant! The cleverness of it all meant that we didn’t see some of the sleight of hand at work – we still want to know how some of that magic happened, like the firefly lights, and the scissors, and the collapsing bag and…

 

First mounted in 2010 by Patch Theatre, when it was rewarded with a Helpmann Award, Me and My Shadow has a fresh new look but remains true to the original production. This is just such a pleasure to watch – take the kids, they’ll love you for it.

 

Arna Eyers-White

 

When: 15, 22, and 29 August

Where: The Space Theatre

Bookings: ticketek.com.au