Shropshire Star

Peppa Pig's Adventure, Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury -

The children were up on their feet, dancing along to the catchy songs and clapping wildly to one of their favourite TV characters.

Published
Daddy Pig, Peppa Pig, Suzy Sheep, George Pig, Gerald Giraffe, Pedro Pony (c) Dan Tsantilis

And that was just my two boys, who were among scores of youngsters entertained by Peppa Pig and her friends on a visit to Shrewsbury's Theatre Severn.

How the little ones react is always a good barometer for how good a children's show really is – and this one certainly hit the spot.

Straight away familiar characters like Suzy Sheep and Pedro Pony are on stage playing a game of hide and seek – characters that look like they appear in the morning on Channel 5 but guided around the stage by actors dressed all in black.

If it sounds like this takes away from the realism then please don't be mistaken. These actors do a tremendous job of making themselves unseen at key moments, yet adding to the story by providing the characters authentic-sounding voices and adding smiles and expressive facial expressions.

After a game of hide and seek, Peppa Pig is finally found and, guided by human character Daisy, the characters learn lessons with teacher Madame Gazelle before going on a camping trip in the woods.

Familiar songs are used to keep the mood upbeat to get the youngsters hooked. Those who aren't parents of young children probably don't have a clue what the Bing Bong Song is – but it works wonders on the boys and girls.

There is also a very well-worked bedtime lullaby scene at the campsite where the theatre goes black and fluorescent images float across the stage. All this before a member of the production team is let loose on the audience with a super soaker so that Peppa and her friends can jump in muddy puddles.

As you would expect the story is full of positive vibes, with plenty of smiles and laughter from all of the actors and just the right level of audience engagement to keep children's attention. It was certainly the highlight of my boys' day.

After its two-day run in Shrewsbury, the show will visit the Lyceum in Crewe on Wednesday (NOV 15 & 16) before dates at Wolverhampton Grand Theatre in April and the Regent Theatre in Stoke-on-Trent next summer.