With the evenings drawing in we headed over as a family to see Madagascar The Musical at The Regent Theatre in Hanley.
With two excited children, we took our seats at the Regent Theatre, waiting to see how this animated family favourite would be transferred to the stage.
With a theatre filled with excitement, the show burst into life, from the very first chord of music our children’s eyes were glued to the stage! True to the film the show starts off setting the scene of the 4 main characters, Matt Terry as Alex the lion, Posi Morakinyo as Marty the zebra, Connor Dyer as Melman the giraffe, and Hannah Victoria as Gloria the hippopotamus, and their lives at Central Park Zoo.
The costumes and characterisations were outstanding and the actors delivered a performance that made each one stand out. Our children loved seeing the real-life characters that they know and love from the film.
The set design was a visual treat as the scenes moved from the zoo, through the railway station and then onto the boat as the animals are packed into shipping crates before landing on the shores of Madagascar…..not San Diego Zoo!
Our children especially loved the penguins and the lemurs, both of which had the entire audience belly laughing and rolling around their seats at their hilariously delivered performance. Everywhere we looked children were dancing, singing and clapping along….including our own! The brilliantly re-worked “I like to move it….move it”…..had the crowd bouncing around and laughing….some to tears!
The finale of the show brought about a rapturous applause and a standing ovation, a testament to the excellent production and demonstration of how much the entire audience loved the show!
A little information for parents with young children: The first act was reasonably short, 40-45 mins, which was perfectly timed to suit children with short attention spans and the show ended at 9:20pm. The showtimes seemed well suited to the targeted family audience.
From the captivity of the silver screen to the wild of the stage, Madagascar The Musical delivers one of the most entertaining and engaging shows that we’ve ever seen! Grab your kids (if you have them) and head down The Regent Theatre, this is a must-see show!
[box type=”info” align=”alignleft” class=”” width=””]Madagascar The Musical is on at the Regent Theatre until Sunday 29th September. Contact the box office on 0844 871 7649 for tickets or visit the Regent Website.[/box]
