As part of our Young Critics Collective programme, Scarlet Driver reviews The Hideout by Hikapee.
The Hideout uses breath-taking circus, parkour, and heartfelt storytelling to capture the highs and lows of making a new friend.
Young Critics are an imaginative collective of students who value collaboration and innovation. Together, they review and help shape future theatre programming.
The Hideout – A playground of friendship, butterflies, and the greatest depths of your imagination!
Remember when a climbing frame could become a castle, a pirate ship, or the greatest hideout in the world, burrowed within the quiet corners of the park or school playground? Well, Hikapee’s The Hideout bottles that childhood magic and lets it loose on stage in a heart-warming, imaginative adventure about friendship, bravery, and finding your place in a busy world!
This magic begins before the show has even begun. In the foyer, children are invited to colour in paper butterflies and add them to a growing display. Then, upon entering the theatre, they’re handed a free colouring book connected and personalised to the story. So, before a single performer even steps foot on stage, audiences are already creating, playing, and becoming apart of the experience.
And honestly, what a delicately thought-out and viscerally captivating experience this production was!
At the centre of the performance sits a beautiful set that looks part tree, part climbing frame, and part dream playground you wished your school would have growing up! The structure itself allowed the performers countless opportunities for expressive and dynamic movement as they could climb, swing, perch, hide, and leap across the stage. For younger audience members, it’s the kind of set that sparks the immediate thoughts of ‘I wish I could climb that!’
Every movement feels like a game. The performers scramble through the branches, hang from the beams, and balance high above the floor with the confidence and fearlessness only children seem to possess.
What makes the environment especially effective is its simplicity. Surrounding the frame are soft patches of greenery and long vines that sway gently whenever they’re touched. Rather than bombarding the audience with flashing lights or loud effects, The Hideout creates a calm, low-sensory space filled with wonder. It feels like stepping into the world’s cosiest secret den.
The story follows Luca as he navigates the intimidating world of a busy playground and discovers the courage to make a new friend in Maya. It’s a simple premise, but one told with great care and understanding.
Remarkably, most of the show is non-verbal. Apart from introducing themselves, Luca and Maya communicate almost entirely through movement, expression, and play. Yet the story never feels difficult to follow. Every emotion is crystal clear, from nervousness and curiosity to excitement and joy.
This wordless approach also makes the production wonderfully accessible. Children don’t need lengthy explanations to understand what’s happening because the performers tell the story in the language children know best: play. This, to me, begins to unfold the interest in a child’s mind of entertainment and art of other varieties, potentially introducing them to the world of dance, and how dance can convey story.
Having adult performers portray children works brilliantly too! There is something wonderfully reassuring about watching grown-ups climb, tumble, sulk, celebrate, and navigate friendship in exactly the way children do. It acknowledges that childhood experiences matter, and gently tells its young audience, ‘We remember what this feels like.’
The performers also excel at keeping the audience involved. Butterflies float overhead, puppets venture into the crowd, and characters regularly break the fourth wall with playful glances and waves. The result is a theatre experience that feels interactive rather than performative, drawing children into the adventure without overwhelming them. Importantly, the adults in the room were just as captivated throughout, making The Hideout a genuine family experience!
However, there was one sequence of note that didn’t quite land as successfully. A section where Maya searches for a hidden Luca stretches on slightly too long, and some children seemed unsure how they could help. Some pointed to where they could see Luca, but nothing seemed to help Maya. A clapping pattern eventually becomes the solution, but introducing this game earlier might have given young audiences a clearer role and a rewarding moment of recognition later in the show.
However, this is only a small thought to help keep what Hikapee had already so beautifully established with meaningful and engaging audience interaction.
Perhaps the greatest measure of The Hideout’s success came after the curtain call. As the audiences left, I overheard one child desperate to meet Luca and Maya. In that moment, it was clear that The Hideout had achieved something special. For under an hour, those characters weren’t just performers on a stage. They were friends. And for children’s theatre, there is hardly a greater compliment than that!
