The Pandas of The Adelaide Zoo review | Cub Voltaire

Two giant pandas, Fu Ni and Wang Wang, are trapped in captivity at Adelaide Zoo, staring down the ultimate ticking clock: Fu Ni’s three-day mating window. Zookeeper Trev and ranger Hayley are on high alert, praying these bamboo-loving divas finally produce the cubs everyone’s been waiting for. But will Fu Ni embrace motherhood or reject Wang Wang for the elusive, commitment-phobic male nature has said he is? In The Pandas of the Adelaide Zoo, Ryan Smith turns a true story into a whimsical, slightly tragic comedy of errors, where these pandas’ romantic misadventures are as endearing as they are exasperating.

Smith’s script tells two stories in parallel. One follows Wang Wang (Smith) and Fu Ni (Elizabeth Harvey) as they pass their hours, days, and years within the zoo, relying on nothing but each other for company. The second traces Trev and Hayley (Jake McNamara and Charli Lewis) as they record an episode of Totally Wilderness, observing the pandas, with each person bringing their own intentions, curiosities, and emotions to the encounter.

McNamara charms as the nervous zookeeper, fumbling words and delivering clumsy, well-meaning jokes that rarely land. Hayley shines with a sunny, camera-ready cheer, but when the lens is off, her authentic self surfaces; a thoughtful, uneasy voice questioning whether keeping pandas - or any animal - in a cage can ever be justified. Together, their contrasting energies create an amusing and heartfelt tension, as they navigate the highs and lows of life behind the scenes at Adelaide Zoo.



Like the real-life Wang Wang and Fu Ni, Smith and Harvey steal our hearts as the two pandas. Their mannerisms - from the way they sit and roll to the way they flex their feet - embody the animals convincingly. The pair share a lovely chemistry, and their constant squabbling shifts effortlessly between the grumblings of an old married couple and the petulance of teenagers. Their performance brilliantly blends the mundane and the profound, turning ordinary human moments - like breathing too loudly or food etiquette - into rich, comic exchanges, all while grappling with themes of parenthood, loneliness, and the weight of expectation.

The show’s pacing mirrors the slow, measured rhythms of life in these artificial habitats, with sequences of stillness punctuated by instances of chaotic comedy. This ebb and flow keep the audience invested, letting humour and poignancy land without ever feeling rushed. Beyond the story of mating windows and strange humans, The Pandas of the Adelaide Zoo explores deeper ideas: the isolation that comes from being confined, the subtle negotiations of companionship, and the unspoken pressures of obligation, whether for the pandas, the zookeepers, or ourselves. These reflections give the playfulness a surprising heft, where laughter and contemplation sit side by side.

A minor hiccup in an otherwise engaging show highlights how tricky it can be to balance comedy, commentary, and character. When Haley and Trev are off-camera, she stares at him wordlessly for an extended period while he desperately attempts to fill the silence. It’s funny at first, but it drags on, and the subsequent conversation about captivity is a little too on the nose. Haley calls out Trev for locking pandas in cages, yet as the TV host of Totally Wilderness, she participates in the same system every day, which renders the critique awkward.



Smith raises questions about pandas held in enclosures and the challenges of being forced to breed when there is no natural attraction. His play delves into the plight of the pandas, presenting both the benefits and drawbacks of living in a contained environment while probing the true cost of these actions. It’s not a simple question - perhaps there isn’t a clear answer - but The Pandas of The Adelaide Zoo certainly sparks meaningful discourse.

Read our interview with Ryan Smith here.

SHOW DETAILS

Venue: Club Voltaire, 14 Raglan St, North Melbourne
Season: 20 - 21 March | 6pm
Duration: 45 minutes
Tickets: $32 Full | $30 Conc
Bookings: Trybooking