It follows the adventures of Kelsey Clarke and the warrior doll Nozomi as they journey to the Underground to liberate the monster world from the mysterious Angelica.

For timid Kelsey, this means putting on her best cardigan and plunging headlong into the monster kingdom — from murky swamps to haunted Ghost Roads!

In his four out of five review "Battle Lines are Drawn", Matt Byrne[2] described the show as a "head-on mix of Japanese and English dialogue and lyrics as the characters alternate languages.

In his enthusiastic review for Rip It Up,[3] Barry Lenny praised Mai Kakimoto for her "standout performance" as Nozomi and described the show as both "superb" and "a high energy, fast-paced work that captures the imagination" noting "influences of Noh, Kabuki, Butoh and even Bunraku in evidence."

Youth reviewer Sam Ryan[4] said "Not only was Once Upon a Midnight an excellent example of cross cultural collaboration and exchange, it was also pure fun all the way through" while Richard Flynn for the Adelaide Theatre Guide[5] praised the use of both Japanese and English in the text, saying "they have no need of surtitles!

", adding "Will Kelsey Clarke conquer the night, her seemingly boundless fears of germs, her big brother, traffic, and all the people in the world who are not ‘like her’?

Bring on the Night: Yoshiki, Scratch, Kango, Tweetles and the Vultures Frightened of the World: Kelsey Dance, Monster, Dance: Kango Into the Dark: Nozomi, Scratch, Kelsey, Yoshiki, Ryan, Leiko, Tweetles and the Vultures Hot Red Sugar: Damon, Zombies Taming of the Wolf: Scratch, Angelica Make Believe: Kelsey, Damon, Shima, Ryan, Yoshiki, Nozomi, Tweetles and the Vultures Close Your Eyes: Angelica The Night is Ours Again: Company Nozomi, the Ningyō: Mai Kakimoto Angelica, the Blue Fairy: Michelle Pastor Shima, the Kijimuna: Shusaku Uchida Yoshiki, the Tengu: Tenchou Kango, the Kappa: Shimabukuro Hiroyuki Damon, the Vampire: David Hirst Scratch, the Werewolf: Chris Asimos Kelsey, a fourteen-year-old girl: Lauren Henderson Ryan, her brother, sixteen: Matthew Crook Leiko, a toddler: Keiichi Yonamine Tweetles: Melissa Matheson Flopsy: David Hirst Bedlam: Michelle Pastor Kowashimashou: Shusaku Uchida Zuru-Zuru: Keiko Yamaguchi Hiyokko: Ken Yamamura Director: Catherine Fitzgerald Choreography: Yumi Umiumare Assistant Director: Momoko Iwaki Costume Design: Oka Kazuyo Dramaturg: Julie Holledge Set Design: Naomi Steel Design consultant: Mary Moore Stills Photographer: Tomoaki Kudaka Music consultant: Stuart Day Sword Fight Choreographer: Tuyoshi China Lighting Designer (Japan): Yoshimi Sakamoto Lighting Designer (Australia): Fred Schultz Stage Manager (Australia): Maj Green Production Manager (Australia): Andrew Bailey Set Construction (Australia): Glen Finch Book Translation (to Japanese): Ken Yamamura with Yumi Umiumare Lyrics Translation (to Japanese): Ken Yamamura, Yumi Umiumare, Keiko Yamaguchi, and Mai Kakimoto Produced by Hisashi Shimoyama, artistic director of the Kijimuna Festival, and Professor Julie Holledge, Flinders University Drama Centre.