Touring – reviewed at the King’s Theatre, Edinburgh
Guest reviewer: Natalie Walker
The average age of the audience for Peppa Pig’s Adventure has to be about three, but given the noise level throughout this short and fun new show, each and every toddler is captivated by the experience.
It is a lovely sunny day and Daisy (the only human in the show) arrives at school – but cannot find her classmates. Slowly, with the eager young audience’s help. she manages to track down Gerald Giraffe, Suzy Sheep and Pedro Pony before managing to convince George and (the main attraction, obviously) Peppa to join her.
Before long we are transported to our favourite cartoon pal’s school room with a life-size Madame Gazelle ready to take class. The group learn how to play some musical instruments – all the while the audience is taught how to clap and shake over-eager hands and arms in the air.
Mummy and Daddy Pig soon arrive to join in the fun – also life-size and drawing lots of squeals of delightful recognition. The sun was blaring on this summer’s day in the capital – but inside the King’s the wee ones were being just as dazzled. Every time the Peppa puppet spoke there were yelps of delight and a sea of thrilled kids waving their hands at their porky heroine.
Daisy, played by Bronte Tadman, is the thread to the show, constantly seeking and getting interaction with the crowd with lots of actions and songs. Before long she is busy rounding up her cuddly looking school friends into a bus driven by Daddy Pig to take them on an adventure.
The second half finds Peppa and co at a campsite. Pig-tailed Daisy makes their packed lunches – managing to feed some ducks and sing a few songs before bedtime.
As night falls four life size tents appear and the crew are urged to sleep. Well of course they are too excited for slumber. Clever lighting shows the characters silhouetted in tents and we hear them chat about how it is too noisy for them to sleep.
They all emerge and are told by an always smiling Daisy they need to dream about things to help them sleep. Cue a darkened stage and lots of neon props in dream bubbles.
One of the highlights is watching the puppet handlers (clad head to toe in black who push the life size puppets about on wheels while voicing the characters) fly creatures in the sky – bats, frogs, owls and very effective fireflies which seem to take over the entire theatre.
water guns
Another fun bit is when the schoolmates awake and find out it is raining – time for their boots and the audience being squirted from the sides with water guns. The surge of water is not enough to make you wet, more you get a wee feeling of water. The crew behind this imaginative show got that spot on – although my wee girl (three) was sad there were no actual real muddy puddles to be seen…
The cast of Peppa Pig’s Adventure. Pic: Dan Tsantilis
This really is the perfect show for pre-school kids. It’s a squirting, snorting and fast paced hour which brings lots of the best elements of the TV show to stage including the music, most of the popular and famous songs (such as the Bing Bong Song) and recognisable voices.
It takes a little time to get used to seeing puppeteers standing behind all the characters on wheeled bases and moving their flapping arms and mouths. But it is more the parents and grandparents whose eyes are drawn to this than the wee ones – who were mesmerised by seeing their favourite characters live.
It is a very simple show, with simple songs and routines and predictable phrases from the sweet, if slightly basic, puppets. The sets are simple. The content is unoriginal. But that is what makes this so effective when your audience is so young. This is fast-paced, colourful fun. And for the older members of the audience it is over before you know it.
Running time: 1 hour (including one interval)
King’s Theatre, 2 Leven Street EH3 9LQ. Phone booking: 0131 529 6000
Saturday 30 June/Sunday 1 July 2018
Three times daily: 10am, 1pm & 4pm.
Tickets and details: www.capitaltheatres.com/peppapig
Tour website: http://peppapiglive.com/home.php
Facebook: @peppapigliveuk
Peppa Pig’s Adventure on tour 2018:
Sat 30 Jun – Sun 1 Jul
Edinburgh
King’s Theatre
0131 529 6000
Book online
Wed 4 – Thur 5 Jul
Aberdeen
His Majesty’s Theatre
01224 641122
Book online
Sat 7 – Sun 8 Jul
Inverness
Eden Court
01463 234234
Book online
Sat 14 – Sun 15 Jul
Glasgow
King’s Theatre
0844 871 7648
Book online
Tue 17 – Wed 18 Jul
Nottingham
Theatre Royal
0115 989 5555
Book online
Sat 21 – Sun 22 Jul
Liverpool
Empire
0844 871 3017
Book online
Wed 25 – Thu 26 Jul
Skegness
Embassy Theatre
01507 613100
Book online
Sat 28 – Sun 29 Jul
Swindon
Wyvern Theatre
01793 524481
Book online
Wed 8 – Thu 9 Aug
Worthing
Pavilion Theatre
01903 206 206
Book online
Sat 11 – Sun 12 Aug
Plymouth
Pavilions
0333 772 7727
Book online
Wed 15 – Thu 16 Aug
Salford
The Lowry
0843 208 6010
Book online
Sat 18 – Sun 19 Aug
Buxton
Opera House
01298 72190
Book online
Wed 22 – Thu 23 Aug
Newcasatle
Theatre Royal
08448 11 21 21
Book online
Fri 24 – Sat 25 Aug
Hoddesdon
The Spotlight
01992 441946
Book online
Tue 28 – Wed 29 Aug
Coventry
Belgrade Theatre
024 7655 3055
Book online
Sat 1 – Sun 2 Sep
Hull
New Theatre
01482 300 306
Book online
Sat 8 – Sun 9 Sep
Northampton
Royal & Derngate
01604 624811
Book online
Wed 12 – Thu 13 Sep
Mansfield
Palace Theatre
01623 633133
Book online
Sat 15 – Sun 16 Sep
Reading
The Hexagon
0118 960 6060
Book online
Tue 18 – Wed 19 Sep
Norwich
Theatre Royal
01603 630000
Book online
Sat 22 – Sun 23 Sep
Swansea
Grand Theatre
01792 475715
Book online
Wed 26 – Thu 27 Sep
Peterborough
Broadway Theatre
01733 306071
Book online
Sat 29 – Sun 30 Sep
Hayes
Beck Theatre
020 8561 8371
Book online
Sat 6 – Sun 7 Oct
Preston
Charter Theatre
01772 80 44 44
Book online
Wed 10 – Thu 11 Oct
Bromley
Churchill Theatre
020 3285 6000
Book online
Sat 13 – Sun 14 Oct
Gravesend
The Woodville
08442 439 480
Book online
Tue 16 – Wed 17 Oct
Loughborough
Town Hall
01509 231914
Book online
Sat 20 – Sun 21 Oct
Stevenage
Gordon Craig Theatre
01438 363200
Book online
Wed 24 – Thu 25 Oct
Basingstoke
The Anvil
01256 844244
Book online
Fri 26 – Sat 27 Oct
Eastbourne
Devonshire Park Theatre
01323 412 000
Book online
Wed 31 Oct – Thu 1 Nov
Chesterfield
Pomegranate Theatre
01246 345 222
Book online
Fri 2 – Sat 3 Nov
Radlett
The Radlett Centre
01923859291
Book online
Wed 7 – Thu 8 Nov
Woking
New Victoria Theatre
0844 8717645
Book online
Sat 10 – Sun 11 Nov
Dunfermline
Alhambra Theatre
01383 740 384
Book online
Wed 14 – Thu 15 Nov
Malvern
Forum Theatre
01684 892277
Book online
Sat 17 – Sun 18 Nov
Wellingborough
Castle Theatre
01933 270007
Book online
ENDS