BEG,  borrow or steal to get into this delightful kids’ play, even if you’re hard-working adults who can duck out of your Civic office to get to the Canberra Playhouse.

A hit from the Darwin Festival of the Northern Territory’s contribution to the Canberra Theatre’s centenary program, “Wulamanayuwi and the Seven Pamanui” as a timely reminder of how far away we have gone from  the ancient tradition of storytelling.

In his mischievous yet at times absolutely terrifying script, playwright Jason de Santis conjures up the Dreamtime’s creation myths and some very nasty developments taking place not long after.

Wulamanayuwi is the beautiful child, not unlike Snow White, who faces a series of trials when her vampire stepmother, played with evident relish and loud evil guffaws by Natasha Wanganeen, tries several ploys to get rid of her.

She doesn’t have a mirror to consult, but she does have an eccentric, high camp water spirit played by De Santis himself, who devises a series of ridiculous strategies.

But Wulamanayuwi is not so easily defeated, as the play shows, and with the help of a friendly white cockatoo, a very special necklace, and seven mischievous spirits not unlike her apparently drowned little brothers, she triumphs in the end.

The coincidences with the Snow White story are many and De Santis takes full advantage of then to draw parallels between ancient Indigenous culture and Western mythology. There is little doubt that the role of the bridegroom and Tiwi warrior who arrives to say to save the day has been deliberately enhanced by De Santis to become the handsome prince.

This is a witty and tantalising script, full of hilarious moments, but at the same time unnervingly scary, considering the young audience. Because of De Santis’ affable intervention as the narrator,  the Man in the Moon, none of them left the theatre, all staying  through to their happy ending.

The production itself is a marvel. Staged around  a portable set of frames decorated with cross-hatched Indigenous art motifs, it features some clever puppetry, much of it shadow theatre on upstage screen that reflects and sometimes repeats the downstage action.

The seven little brothers are represented by wonderful bamboo puppets decorated with Tiwi art motifs, manipulated by all five cast members. Their parallels in the spirit world, the Pamanui, are also shown in pockets operated by rod, string and hand.

Everyone chips in, playing, manipulating puppets, or changing scenery when not directly acting.

Kylie Farmer as the much put-upon Wulamanayuwi generally plays it straight, though there are some hilarious scenes where she tries to settle down her naughty brothers. Kamahi Djordon King as her father gives a good rendition of traditional masculine authority figure combined with something more vulnerable. Jaxon De Santis plays the guitar beautifully, sings, it also takes on the handsome Tiwi warrior with good humour.

In short, this is a rounded and satisfying performance by a skilled ensemble of artists.