5 STARS, June 1-3. If you and your little ones are fans of the classic Eric Carle books, then this is definitely the show for you, says Sharon Wallace
Pamela Raith
We headed to The Rose Theatre in Kingston, the babes and I, to see The Very Hungry Caterpillar Show. We love this place for children’s theatre. The atmosphere is always relaxed and welcoming and no matter whether you’re seated on cushions on the floor or up on the comfy benches, there is always a great view for little ones. And crucially, the opportunity to pop my 13mth old on the floor for a crawl around if needs be.
The show is made up of 4 of the author/illustrator’s timeless classics: The Artist Who Painted a Blue Horse, Mister Seahorse, The Very Lonely Firefly and of course, the unmistakable, The Very Hungry Caterpillar which has been a firm favourite with generations since it was first published back in 1969.
There was plenty of gasps and excitement from the young audience from the outset as an array of 75 amazing, hand-operated puppets were cleverly manipulated to faithfully bring these stories to life on stage. Each story ran seamlessly into the next, keeping the little ones mesmerised from beginning to end. Now I have to admit here that we were not familiar with the first 3 stories beforehand, but that did not matter one bit as each story is narrated by the puppeteers.
The show starts with The Artist Who Painted a Blue Horse. As a menagerie of animal puppets enter the stage to be painted, including the Spotted Donkey, my daughter could hardly contain her excitement as she kept calling out “what’s next”. The backdrop changes for Mister Seahorse and was magically disguised as oodles of bubbles filled the air and flooded into the audience of enthralled children. This captivating, underwater scene sees elegantly dancing seahorses and egg bearing fish before the lights dim for The Very Lonely Firefly. And I need not give any introduction to The Very Hungry Caterpillar that had everyone chanting along “But he was still hungry”.
You know when a show is a success when your 2-year-old daughter is asking “again mummy?” So if you’re looking for a fun treat for the little one’s this half term, book yourself seats for 50 minutes of pure magic and amazement. The show runs until Sunday 4th June and is perfect for over 2’s (although my 13-month-old was jumping up and down with excitement throughout). Enjoy!
You can read more by Sharon at designmum.com
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