Erin Harrington reviews Wonder, presented by Sahara BreeZe productions, written by Sarah and Blaise Barham, directed by Pedro Ilgenfritz, at Little Andromeda, Thursday 5 November 2026.
Wonder is having a hard time. She is stressed out at work and concerned for her health, but most pressingly she is in an intractable situation with the things around her. At home, her belongings come alive. Her fuzzy green Bag is on her side, but other household items – Lamp, Smartphone, Hanky, and Glove – are watching her every move, concerned for her, and for their own welfare. Wonder is hiding from them. The weird neighbour has been hanging around. There are boxes everywhere. There’s rumours household objects are being moved to the garage – the first step towards disposal. Wonder gets drawn into arguments with these lovable yet demanding things. These threaten to spill out into the world outside the house, where people might look at a woman having a philosophical debate with her hanky like she’s a lunatic. Wonder needs things to change, but how?
As the play’s human characters, the three performers (Sarah Barham, Isaac Power and Blaise Barham) wear character half masks with prominent noses and popping eyes, which gives their characters a sense of heightened openness, and move and speak with a deft, exaggerated physicality. This sense of estrangement makes the mundane a little more magical, and particularly brings Wonder’s vulnerabilities to the fore. Wonder’s belongings are brought to life with delightful puppets (created by Ifat Veyner) that the cast manipulate with precision. The script, and the objects’ debates, are fast paced, but the speech and characterisation always legible. We believe in their world; it has real stakes. The simple staging, made up of fabric screens and chairs, creates multiple playing spaces, while allowing for quick costume changes.
The play also asks the audience to consider whether these animated items are, in fact, really alive, full of their own sense of vitality and concern – which also speaks to the uncanny magic of puppetry – or an imaginative expression of Wonder’s own anxieties. How do the things around us contribute to our sense of self? How do we bring those things to life with meaning and attachment? Are Lamp, Glove, Bag and friends comforting, or controlling? With whom should be sympathise most? Anyone who has been overwhelmed by clutter or has struggled to part with a treasured item, or perhaps has lived with certain types of disorders, will recognise Wonder’s dilemma – her need to hold on, and her desire for change. There’s also a hint of Toy Story here, as these enlivened items grapple with their own disposability and perhaps mortality.
Overall, Wonder asks questions about how we perceive ourselves and others by using the artifice and magic of the form to get to an emotional truth perhaps less accessible otherwise. It’s a unique, engossing show that combines many laugh out loud moments with a sense of pathos and compassion. The opening night audience loves it; you might too.
Wonder runs at Little Andromeda until Saturday 7 November.
