Fun and inclusive, every kid should see this show. A funny but meaningful tale (or should I say ‘tail’?) presented by interstate talent Indelabilityarts, Wilbur the Optical Whale is an exploration of friendship, bullying, and belonging.

The beautiful, surreal opening featured glowing jellyfish, and the whole show utilised cool UV lighting and bright glow-in-the-dark colours. Involving rapping starfish, fun acrobatics and a farting shark, the show will engage any kid who loves the under-sea theme.

There is a beautiful friendship between Wilbur the Whale and Cecil the Shark; it was nice to see a girl play the farting comic relief who always stands up for their friends. Big K, the leader of the Starfish Gang, had a cool character arc (and an even cooler beanie), and really, the whole cast were wonderful.

The environment was super inclusive to those with many kinds of special needs. There were chill-out tents, games to keep everyone engaged and allow the kids to move around, and AUSLAN worked into every show in a fun digital bubble on the background.

The show addressed aspects of bullying I’ve never seen explored in a kid’s show before. Bullies often bully because they’re also ‘different’, which was a great thing to explore – and I’ve never seen a show address bullying tactics like removing you from your support network or getting your friends to leave you. Wilbur’s accidental destruction of the coral because he couldn’t see without his glasses shows that even when bullied he was not portrayed as a powerless victim. The bullies learn there’s a reason he needs the support he has, for everyone’s benefit. Despite these morals, it never felt like a lecture.

A story told about disability by actors with disabilities, we really need this representation on our stages. Every kid with a disability will have something to relate to, every kid who knows a kid with a disability in their class, every kid that’s been bullied or is a bully should see it, and every kid who laughs at fart jokes… so, every kid!