Smurfs Save Spring

World Famous classic characters in an
​all new musical with broad family appeal
​and ​an important environmental message.
  • A magical and fun filled full-scale musical based on the world-famous Smurfs characters, featuring an all original score, animated large-scale Smurf costumes, giant size set pieces and props, digital backdrops, puppetry and live comic actors. The show was conceived, written and directed by John Rowe, with music co-composed by John with Stefan Nowak.

  • The story is set in spring, the Smurfs' favourite time of the year, when the whole village is busy preparing for the much-awaited annual Spring Parade. But the evil Gargamel comes up with a plan to bring an end to the festivities by stealing Mother Nature’s recipe book and cooking up a way to turn spring off forever.

  • It’s a story in the tradition of the classic Smurf comic books and animations, but with an important environmental message about our relationship with Mother Nature. It has cartoon drama, a tender moment or two, and lots of slapstick and comedy, all supported by an eclectic mix of catchy songs. Written and directed by John Rowe, with music by Stefan Nowak & John Rowe, the show stars Brainy, Hefty, Harmony, Vanity, Grouchy, Clumsy, Smurfette and Papa Smurf… alongside Gargamel and his hilarious side-kick cat Azreal, and the outrageous Mother Nature.

  • The show previewed in the Venetian Theatre in Macau (former home to Cirque Du Soliel), before an official world premiere in Dubai 2015. The show has since entertained audiences all over the world in multiple tours throughout Asia, the Middle East, and Europe, playing in world class venues like the Folies Bergère in Paris, The Zorlu Performing Arts Centre in Istanbul (the largest theatre in Europe) and the Shanghai Culture Square in China. It has been performed in multiple languages (English, French, Spanish, Polish, Arabic, Turkish, Thai and Mandarin) and by international casts from Australia, the UK, South Africa, and France.

  • Although it has played to thousands of people of different backgrounds and in different locations, the reaction to the show has been universal. Children and adults alike have been captivated by the story and the magical theatrical elements, and leave the theatre singing the memorable songs from the show.

Behind the Scenes

Recording music & voices in Australia, creating artwork in Belgium, designing animated costumes in the UK, building sets and props in Sydney, hand making puppets in Bulgaria, then rehearsing multiple casts from Australia, the UK and France... this was a truly international creative process. And all under the watchful eye of IMPS and the Smurfs Studio to make sure every show element remained true to the artwork, characters and ethos of the original creator, Peyo. The show even had the stamp of approval from Peyo's daughter, Veronique Culliford who attended the world premiere in 2015.
​Mushroom house from design to stage.
​Mother Nature and her house from design to stage.
Original hand-drawn panorama for the Smurf Village scenes, and the digital coloured version ready for projection.

Music

An eclectic music mix was tied together with an overall sound and production quality that  relied heavily on the use of real instruments and live musicians for recordings. 6 piece horn section, acoustic and electric guitar, bass, drums, piano, organ, synthesizer, ukelele, banjo, percussion. Aside form the lead vocals by  the principal characters, there were multiple tracks of Smurf chorus vocals mixed with lushly arranged human backing vocals.

Creative Credits
  • Script - JOHN ROWE
  • Music - STEFAN NOWAK & JOHN ROWE
  • Director - JOHN ROWE
  • Choreographer - KATIE KERMOND
  • Puppet Director - SUE WALLACE
  • Technical Director - JUSTIN TAUDIEN
  • Set & Costume Design - ANDREA ESPINOZA
  • Lighting Design - BENJAMIN BROCKMAN
  • Animated Character Costumes - RAINBOW
  • Producer - MILLENNIUM ENTERTAINMENT INTERNATIONAL
"La la la la la la.... you'll be smurfing soon!."
​The Smurfs