4 STARS, May 17-21. Aimed at the younger generation this is "a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon, and at an hour long with no break, it was perfect to keep my daughter’s attention span", says Gemma Davidson
My three-year-old daughter and I went to see We’re Going On A Bear Hunt at The Rose Theatre in Kingston. It was really fun and engaging set perfectly for ages three years and upwards. The cast came out in to the audience at the start talking with everyone introducing their characters. This was a great way to get the children in to the story. I really enjoyed seeing my daughter’s look of sheer surprise at this spectacle. It was true to the book but with some very clever use of rhythm and rhyme all the way through. The songs were catchy and it was a really warm and friendly family atmosphere.
We did not know what to expect but were not disappointed because every part of the story was covered in the most imaginative way. The family members set off on their hunt, dealing with each of the obstacles with slap stick comedy, humour and a sing song and lots of great props and messy fun. There was lots of audience participation singing, shouting out and we even had to help the family establish what a bear looked like.
As soon as the family came across the grass my daughter was giggling at the swishy swashy song as they danced through green tissue paper. There was a reminder of the bear at each obstacle. The river was wet for the audience too as the water guns were shot at us from all angles. Buddy the dog got lots of laughs with his shaking the water over everyone. The squelchy mud was my daughter’s favourite part because it became a comedy set of hand printing mud on each other getting lots of roars of laughter from the audience. Next the family went on to a deep, dark forest and discovered bear poo much to my daughter’s delight and Buddy the dog rolled around in it…..yuk! The swirling whirling snow storm woohoo’ed with a dark stage, white lights and a white floor – a captivating sight for my daughter.
There was an exciting build up of tension as the family finally arrived at the cave and discovered a shiny nose and googly eyes. Soon, they were running away from the bear. My daughter at this stage was on the end of her seat willing the family on to escape as they quickly went back through all the obstacles rhyming as they went. The family finally escaped back home and were safely tucked in under their duvet as the grand finale with a sing song and dancing began.
It was a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon, and at an hour long with no break, it was perfect to keep my daughter’s attention span.
Check out Theatre/Arts Section for more great local thespian news, reviews and interviews
You can also follow us on Facebook and Twitter for updates on our latest articles
Sign up to our Weekly Newsletter for exclusive competitions, offers and stories
Looking to advertise your business in Surrey or SW London? Check out our 11 different lifestyle magazines with a combined monthly distribution of over 210,000
