Get ready to dance, shout and play The Statue Game when “Bluey’s Big Play” returns to the Walton Arts Center this month. Just like in the Emmy-award-winning Australian show created by Joe Brumm, there will be lots of shenanigans happening as Bingo and Bluey look for ways to get their dad Bandit to stop relaxing and start playing.

“It’s a really fun role,” said Chris White, who is the puppeteer behind Bandit. “He’s an iconic dad. He’s very Australian, very kind and caring and honest guy and I think we can all look up to him.”

White has been in the U.S. for the last two years with the Bluey cast. For this show he plays the role of Bandit and his neighbor, Lucky’s Dad. Before making the rounds in children’s entertainment, he played roles like Roger in “Rent,” Chris in “Miss Saigon” and Sky in “Mamma Mia.” He previously danced and sang as a part of the male ensemble for an Adele World Tour too.

He says that children’s theater has the best audiences.

“You have so much fun with kids,” White said. “You can tell if the kids are having a good time or not. Sometimes they’ll just call out and try to talk to Bluey halfway through the play! I just find that really endearing.”

The Australian native from the Gold Coast has created content for kids with the Yellow Wiggle Greg Page (from the TV show) as well as performed roles on the Disney+ show “Nautilus” and played Cheeko in “Team Rescue” on ABC Kids. He even played Ken in “Barbie: Anything is Possible” on stage in Dubai.

“The main thing about theater for children is that it really focuses on fun and positivity,” he said. “When doing plays for adults and wider audiences like that, things can be heavy or kind of political, whereas children’s theater is all about talking to the child and leaving them with a positive feeling and a positive message.”

Working with a mostly Australian cast and crew for “Bluey’s Big Play” also gives him a chance to share a little bit of Australia with U.S. audiences.

“Television is dominated, even in Australia, by American content — and we love American content,” he said. However, it’s nice to see a little bit of home in the set or to hear American children use Australian slang like “dunny,” which means toilet in the Land Down Under.

Aside from the play and silly slang, the universal themes explored in the animated series make the show a hit all over the world.

“Even though it’s about dogs, it’s super relatable to people all around the world, just concepts of play and exploration and family life,” he said.

“Bluey” isn’t only beloved by kids either, parents and other adults are watching too. In 2023, Vox reported that it was the second most popular streaming show in the U.S. with scores of adults raving about the show’s storylines that, while fun and light-hearted, also confront issues everyone faces — from moving to a new city (“The Sign”), moving past sad feelings (“Stickbird”) and the just stress of getting out of the door (“Sticky Gecko”).

“I think that is what makes the show so special. It is written for the whole family and it’s just authentic and real. I think that’s part of the success,” White said.

When “Bluey’s Big Play” comes to the Walton Arts Center, though, the focus will be on fun.

“It’s got all the iconic characters. It’s got all the games and the musical statues, but there’s a touching storyline to relate to as well,” he said. There may even be a game of Keepy Uppy too, he said. “You’ll have to come and find out.”

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FAQ

Bluey’s Big Play

WHAT — Dad wants downtime, Bluey and Bingo want to play. The Heeler kids pull out all the games and cleverness at their disposal to get Dad off his bean bag in the theatrical adaptation of the Emmy award-winning children’s television series by “Bluey” creator Joe Brumm with new music from Joff Bush. “Bluey’s Big Play” is presented by BBC Studios and Andrew Kay in association with Windmill Theatre Co.

WHEN — 6 p.m. Sept. 6, 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. Sept. 7 and 2 p.m. Sept. 8

WHERE — Walton Arts Center

TICKETS — Tickets start at $29

INFO — waltonartscenter.org

BONUS — There is an add-on VIP experience for $55 that includes meet and greet photo op, VIP lanyard and gift. Each child and adult attending the VIP must have a ticket.