CHILD-ish – REVIEW OF 2025 TARRAGON THEATRE PRODUCTION

Reviewed by James Karas

CHILD-ish is an interesting method of theatre making. Sunny Drake as the writer and creator of the play tells us in a note in the program that she interviewed 41 children between the ages of 5 and 12 and used the materials collected to form it into a play. You can see it at the Tarragon Theatre, Toronto.

There are five actors on stage (Karl Ang, Jannelle Cooper, Monique Mojica, Jordan Pettle and Asher Rose). Rose takes on the role of the interviewer (i.e. Drake) of the children. He and the other actors perform the words of the children without pretending to imitate them. They do jump up and down like chickens but it is an exception to the rule.

The actors take us thematically through the experiences of children as gleaned by Drake. They go from love to mental health and desire to commit suicide. Some of the comments are mundane, others are moving  and many are interesting. 

Jordan Pettle, Janelle Cooper, Karl Ang, Asher Rose 

and Monique Mojica. Photo: Jae Yang 

Near the end of the 65-minute show we are asked to speak to our neighbor and become a questioner and an interviewee. Using questions posted for us on a screen, a young lady on my right asked me about my favorite stuffy and I had to reply that I don’t know what a stuffy is. What are they anyway? Then she asked me about dragons (I am not sure if I had to identify my favorite dragons) and again I had to reply that I knew nothing specific about dragons to give an answer.

At the end of the show about half a dozen youngsters, apparently from the 41 who were interviewed, streamed onto the stage making some happy noises and playing with stuffed pillows and furniture. I could not make out what they were saying but they seemed like rambunctious and happy children. 

Jordan Pettle, Janelle Cooper and Monica Mojica. Photo: Jae Yang

A long time ago Art Linkletter interviewed children on television with hilarious results. He spoke with children, who spoke like children and gave spontaneous replies that were frequently unexpected and funny. Example: What did your mother tell you not to say? Children speak differently from adults and vice versa and we did not get the intonation, hesitation or exuberance of children answering questions. The adult actors provided none of the pleasures of listening to kids.

Putting the play together obviously took a lot of work and the production has the full panoply of behind-the-scenes people. Amanda Wong is the set designer, Ming Wong is the costume designer, Andre du Toit is the lighting designer, Brian Quirt is the dramaturg, Laura Warren is the projection designer, Jessica Greenberg is the Director of Child and Youth Engagement. Unfortunately, the production left me cold. You may enjoy it far more than I did.

CHILD-ish by Sunny Drake, writer and creator, directed by Andrea Donaldson runs November 16, 2025 at the Tarragon Theatre, 30 Bridgman Ave. Toronto, Ontario.  www.tarragontheatre.com

James Karas is the Senior Editor, Culture of The Geek Press, Toronto