I Wonder Returns These School Holidays

Dear Friends,

When Phoebe’s house is flooded during a storm, her parents take her to stay with her distant Uncle Linus in his rickety 200-year-old manor. With its many rooms and creaky floorboards, Phoebe longs to be back home — until she discovers her uncle working away in a grand laboratory. As Linus shares spectacular science experiments, Phoebe’s imagination takes flight. Together, they weave the experiments into a magnificent story that reveals what it truly means to be family.

Sophia Genery as Phoebe and Simon Blacket as Uncle Linus in I Wonder, 2024. Photo by Greg Adams

In 2024, I Wonder began at the Don Pyatt Hall – an intimate venue inside the Norwood Concert Hall. With just 80 seats, a handful of lights, and an ambitious set, we staged 18 performances that were either sold out or only a ticket or two away. It was a humble start, but also the most successful world-premiere season in The Flying Elephant Company’s five-year history.

This year, Silly Science with Simon and The Flying Elephant Company are taking a leap of faith by bringing I Wonder back, this time at The Star Theatre in Adelaide’s West. Since first developing the work with Simon in 2023, I’ve seen how our combination of accessible science, fantasy storytelling, and orchestral musical numbers captures audiences in a unique way. Simon drives the science, I craft the music, and together we shape the script and lyrics that tie it all together.

Bethany Swift as Phoebe in I Wonder, 2024. Photo by Greg Adams

For 2025, we’ve doubled almost everything: a larger venue, bigger set, more spectacular experiments, and even a brand-new song.

If this is a show for you, or for the young scientist or musical-theatre lover in your family, I’d love you to join us in supporting this South Australian production.

Click here to book your tickets!

I can’t wait to see you there.

Warmly,

Benji Riggs

Artistic Director