Mummascribbles – The Gruffalo Live at the Lyric Theatre – Mummascribbles
A mouse took a stroll through the deep dark wood. A fox saw the mouse and the mouse looked good…
The opening line of a book that we all know and love – The Gruffalo. It has been read time and time again in our house (amongst the majority of Julia Donaldson’s amazing catalogue!), we have Gruffalo cuddly toys that have regularly been snuggled up in Zach’s arms as he’s slept and a Gruffalo dressing gown that has always looked super cool on him (although is now getting a little on the small side!). We even have Gruffalo slipper socks to finish off the look. It is safe to say that we and Zach love it!
Little over a week ago, I received an invite to a press viewing of The Gruffalo live on stage. It was probably one of the quickest yes’s that I have ever said because having seen other performances of Julia Donaldson’s work, I just knew that this would be brilliant. The Gruffalo has been touring the UK and the World since 2001 and is back in London town for another spectacular season.
Saturday came along and we hadn’t told Zach where he was going. The only thing he knew was that when we finished rugby, we needed to rush to the train station and get on a couple of trains. That in itself is a super day out for him! The show is on at the Lyric Theatre in Shaftesbury Avenue which is really easy to get to (nearest station is Piccadilly Circus and it’s about a 3 minute walk), so off we headed to the station for the start of our surprise adventure.
When we reached the theatre, there was of course a sign outside. When I asked Zach what he could see, in a very excitedly quiet voice he said The Gruffalo. He then proceeded to ask us if we thought the Gruffalo might be in there and that if he was, he hoped that he’d be kind to us! The excitement as we walked down the steps and through the corridor to the stalls where our seats were was brilliant. I could just feel it seeping out of him!
Sat in our seats (after we’d all had a quick trip to the loo so we didn’t need to go throughout the performance), he kept asking us if it was going to be starting yet. With only minutes to go, it thankfully didn’t get too annoying! Then the lights went down and the show begun. Zach was sat on my lap in order to see a bit better and he barely moved a muscle from the very start! He was entranced the whole way through, joining in with the audience participation (in particular the need for us to roar!), asking us questions and guessing what was coming next, excitedly knowing that when the snake goes off, it’s time to meet the Gruffalo!
From an adults perspective, this show was absolutely fantastic. At 55 minutes long, it is the perfect length for young children (and pregnant mummies!). It’s a lovely intimate theatre so it doesn’t feel overwhelming for the children and whilst it obviously follows the story, it is lengthened in parts with more narrative and songs.
The cast are fabulous too. They involve the audience, connect brilliantly together and are very funny in places. They had us all laughing, especially the snake – he was great! My favourite was the fox though…there were moments where he was misbehaving a bit to make the mouse have to stop her next sentence!
When the Gruffalo came out, the children were thrilled and noisy which is just how you want them to be about one of their favourite book characters.
Credit: Tall Stories
At the end of the show (which came round really quickly) everyone gave them a rousing applause, including Zach who joined in straight away with the clapping which I always think is super cute. We asked him if he enjoyed it, to which his response was a massive yes; and what his favourite bit was, to which (as guessed) he said the Gruffalo! He then continued to talk about it all the way home.
We absolutely loved this show, it does the book incredible justice and is really fun for all of the family. I would absolutely recommend it to anyone who has young children, especially if they are fans of the book.
The Gruffalo is on at the Lyric Theatre in Shaftesbury Avenue, London from now until the 8th Jan 2017. You can book your tickets right here.
We were kindly given three complimentary tickets for The Gruffalo Live for the purpose of this review. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.