Theatre 2016: Review Thirty-Three

My Great Orchestral Adventure, Royal Albert Hall, London. October 2016.

Being an auntie is great, not only do I get to spoil my nephew rotten I also get to try loads of new theatre experiences with him. We've seen traditional children's theatre, Disney musicals and also watched Pixar films accompanied by a live orchestra but this was different again as it was almost just a classical concert.

The idea for this concert was very simple - Tim the conductor has lost his 'magic' baton and so can no longer conduct the orchestra. His brother Tom, with the help of the audience is going to go on a journey to find it and restore order to the instruments.

Well known classical pieces were played as we looked for the baton in the Hall of the Mountain King, in outer space and also on our way to Neverland.  We also fought with Valkyries and Sirens and danced with swans as well as taking a detour to go on a Bear Hunt.

I thought this was a really good event, of course being aimed at a younger crowd the audience was fidgety but the story was clearly told and the music brilliant.  It was also a great exercise in imagination and concentration and once my nephew got the idea that it was all imagination I think he loved it too. Our favourite pieces were the Neverland Suite and We're Going on a Bear Hunt - singing and dancing in the Albert Hall was fun and my nephew sang the whole of the Bear Hunt on the way back to the tube!

I think that we'll wait until he is a bit older before we try another classical music concert but I will look out for other new experiences to try - perhaps an introduction to more traditional ballet (after all we have all loved the Snowman) or even a first trip the Globe...

Theatre 2015: Review Twenty-Five

Tiddler, Leicester Square Theatre, London. August 2015.

After the somewhat disappointmenting Hamlet I was looking forward to my next play - after all a weekend in London when you only see one thing is a waste!

After abandoning Rebecca for a couple of hours I met my sister and nephew in Leicester Square for our trip  to see Tiddler and other tales.  The outing didn't start that well as the toilets were out of order at the theatre and at a show full of under 7s the last thing you want is long queues for the one cubicle that was available.  Credit to the staff as they did get people sorted and the play started almost on time.

It was a wonderful hour of theatre.  Three talented actors with unlimited energy told the stories of Monkey Puzzle, A Squash and A Squeeze, The Smartest Giant in Town and the eponymous Tiddler. The tales blended seamlessly into each other and there was just the right amount of imagination needed to fill out the stories, who in their past hasn't turned cushions into animals to help act out a story?

The source material from Julia Donaldson obviously helps but with the aid of puppets, shadows and songs I, along with pretty much the whole audience, was captivated throughout.  Although clearly for children there were just a few jokes - visual and spoken - just for the grown ups in the theatre and these really made the outing for me.

I love good children's theatre, and going with my nephew is a real treat as he is always spellbound by what he sees on stage.  Extra special congratulations to the cast member who completed the whole thing with her arm in a plaster cast.

Huge thanks to my sister who treated me to my ticket - and next time dad, you really should see if there are any spare seats because you missed a real treat!

Theatre 2014: Review Twenty-Five

The Tiger Who Came to Tea, Lyric Theatre, London. August 2014.

Attending theatre events aimed at the under ten audience is becoming a real treat and I am so happy that my nephew is becoming an ardent theatre-goer.

Unlike the other shows I've attended with him this one was more typical of a children's play and I wasn't quite sure what to expect, especially after having read The Tiger Who Came to Tea out loud so many times at work story times it isn't one of my top 10 picture books (it is in the top 50 however).

This was, again, magical. There was lots and lots of audience participation but unlike at panto this was totally integral to the story and not at all cringe worthy.

The special effects were wonderful - watching the Tiger eat all of the food and the gasps of amazement that accompanied this made it worth the ticket price without a doubt!

The other thing that amazed me was the audience, a full theatre of children and yet the audience were so well behaved and much less disruptive than many at serious shows full of, supposedly, adults. Very few people fidgeted or left and I didn't hear/see a single mobile phone.

I was worried how such a short, and lets be honest quite old fashioned book, would work but it was brilliant.

Once more the programme was a copy of the original book - another plus for seeing children's theatre and I love the idea of using theatres in the morning (or in the afternoons on non-matinee days) to introduce a new generation to the delights of the theatre and the excitement of seeing plays in London's West End.

This was the last trip for a while I'll be making to the theatre with my nephew as he starts school in a month but I'm already looking out for plays suitable for him that will be on stage in the school holidays but shhhh... don't tell his mum!

Theatre 2014: Review Twenty-Three

The Elephantom, New London Theatre, London. July 2014.

The best thing about being an auntie (apart from the cuddles) is being able to share books and other experiences with my nephew.  He's already turning into a junior bookworm and I'm pleased to say that his theatre habit is coming along quite nicely too...

His birthday treat this year was an outing to London to see the Elephantom but we were so lucky with the weather that it turned into a whole day of fun including a trip on the river, hunting for book benches, an introduction to the Globe and a picnic before we even got to the theatre!

On a hot day the New London Theatre was a delight with the cool air conditioning but the real excitement was the show.

A little girl is ignored by her parents until chaos ensues when an Elephantom moves in...so far so standard in children's fiction. The Elephantom however is incredibly troublesome even to his new friend and the tipping point is when he invites his friends over for a party.  Gran comes to the rescue however and after a trip to a magical shop the Elephantom is encouraged to move out and cause chaos elsewhere.

This play is almost wasted on children although my nephew sat spellbound throughout - giggling mightily when the elephant gets wind and poops on stage!  It is a wordless play which is choreographed as carefully as any ballet and the ideas are quite complex. The Elephantom isn't on stage all of the time and this could cause a dip in attention but some how it doesn't.

I hope that at some point the National Theatre release a DVD of this, like they did for their Cat in a Hat, because I think it is a play that can be watched many times at all ages. I know I want to see it again.

Like in War Horse the staging allows you to see the puppet operators as they work the Elephantom but again they are forgotten to the extent that when the little girl tugs the trunk of the naughty elephant and he appears to come apart my nephew really did gasp as if it were real.

My favourite thing of this show is that instead of a programme the ushers are selling copies of the book that the play is based on.  What could be better my two favourite things in one place!