Written by Jenny Hessell, the tales of Grandma McGarvey have entertained thousands of New Zealand children with her quirky ways and wacky adventures. Stories with New Zealand’s favourite grandparents come to life on stage for the July school holidays.Īuckland’s leading children’s theatre company, Tim Bray Productions presents Grandma McGarvey with Grandpa’s Slippersat the PumpHouse Theatre, Takapuna from 29 June to 18 July.īased on six of the Grandma McGarvey and Grandpa’s Slippers books by well-known New Zealand authors Jenney Hessell and Joy Watson, the hour-long show features original songs and music with a sung narration sung by performer Kyle Chuen, who played Peter in Auckland Theatre Company’s 2014 production of Jesus Christ Superstar. Gentle, patient, kind Grandma energetic, single-minded Grandpa.A celebration of grandparents with favourite New Zealand stories on stage for July school holidays These stories are so comforting and gentle that the reader adopts these grandparents as their own. These are some of the themes, narrated with humour and love. Grandpa just knows he has the perfect beach shorts somewhere, and he turns the house upside to find them.

Grandpa is off to clear out the shed, but the things he finds prompt so many jobs that his original mission may never be completed. On Grandpa's quest to find a new cardigan, footsore and disheartened, he happens upon the perfect cardy in the op-shop and yes, it is the one that Grandma darned and re-buttoned and sent there. Grandma is right, of course, and Grandpa knows it, setting them up for an excellent punchline and the next story, with Grandma's practical eye subsequently landing on Grandpa's cardigan.Īnd so we continue with Grandpa's Cardigan, Grandpa's Shorts, Grandpa's Shed and Grandpa's Cat, all featuring this lovely couple and their everyday life. With escalating repetition, we hear that the slippers are going to fall to bits, that the stitching has come undone, the fluff has worn off and other heinous slipper crimes - but Grandpa continues to declare that's the way he likes them. We begin with Grandpa's Slippers, in which there is an epic marital struggle between practical Grandma and stubborn Grandpa as they engage in gentle combat over his tatty, worn slippers.

How lucky we are then, that there is now Grandpa's Storybook Collection, with all five Grandpa stories compiled in one book. The tale of an archetypal Grandpa in scratty old cardigan and slippers pottering about the house and garden has been reassuringly familiar to many young readers. One of the most iconic books for children in Aotearoa New Zealand has to be Grandpa's Slippers, by Joy Watson. Grandpa's Storybook Collection, by Joy Watson and Wendy Hodder.

Grandpa's Slippers by Joy Watson