Be transported back to your youth in a dreamy reinterpretation of a classic fairy tale that will linger in your mind
Presented by Slingsby
Reviewed: 20 February 2026
Since 2007, the Slingsby Theatre Company has been reinvigorating our imagination and sense of wonder through shadow-play, puppetry and immersive worlds that are easy to be lost in. Their original stories bring joy and hope to all ages.
All good stories come to an end though, and the melancholic beauty of The Giant’s Garden goes deeper knowing this is the company’s final adventure.
The Giant’s Garden is the second in the triptych A Concise Compendium of Wonder. The three plays are connected thematically but stand alone, running for about an hour each during the Festival, and offering original stories inspired by classic fairy tales.
Ursula Dubosarsky has penned a glorious tale based on Oscar Wilde’s 1888 children’s story The Selfish Giant. It is presented in the round within the purpose-built Wandering Hall of Possibility deep inside the Adelaide Botanic Garden – a perfect location for a story of a giant who walls off his garden in an act of selfishness, only to discover he’s sealed himself away from life itself.
The story is told from the children’s perspective with all characters masterfully played by Elizabeth Hay, Nathan O’Keefe and Ren Williams. The ensemble also puppeteers with the assistance of two others. The acting in this piece is as gentle as the tale, filled with kindness, wonder and spirited youthfulness. The trio bring forth the innocence, curiosity and bravery of the young, while the stunning compositions of Quincy Grant takes every detail to new heights. His music is emotive, dramatic and dreamy.
All three pieces of A Concise Compendium of Wonder are directed by the company’s Artistic Director and CEO, Andy Packer. His sensitive and dreamy visualisation of The Giant’s Garden transports us back to our own youth and for that single hour, we are there, lost in the now and forever grateful to have rediscovered who we are.
Reviewed by Rod Lewis
Venue: The Wandering Hall of Possibility, Plane Tree Lawns, Adelaide Botanic Garden, Enter through the Friend’s Gate on Plane Tree Drive
Season: Until 14th March 2026
Duration: 1 hour, no interval
Tickets: $30 – $55 (plus booking fee)
Bookings: https://www.adelaidefestival.com.au/whats-on/season-2026/a-concise-compendium-of-wonder
Photo credit: Andy Rasheed, Eyefood
