On Thursday we headed as a family off to our local theatre to see the latest production of Peppa Pig Live called Peppa Pig's Surprise!
This was the first ever live Peppa show we'd taken Bert too - he is a massive, massive fan of all things Peppa, but we felt he was a little small last year to see the tour, so waited until this year to take him, and I'm so glad we did.
He was at the absolutely perfect age for the show and thankfully he totally and utterly loved every moment. Phew! There's always that moment as a parent when you build something up and then get disappointed when your child's reaction isn't what you imagined it would be. Bert loved it though - he squealed and shook with excitement when he saw Peppa and George for the first time, he danced, sang along and shouted out all the names of the characters he could recognise - it was wonderful to see!
Look at my little cuties - sitting in the theatre waiting for the show to start!
Peppa and her friends are performed by puppeteers dressed all in black who manoeuvre the puppets and provide their voices from behind. The puppets themselves were much bigger than I imagined (about bust height from the floor) and looked just like the characters we all know and love. Mummy Pig and Daddy pig are played by performers in suits, and so are life size, making them suitably bigger than the child sized puppets. There is a female lead called Daisy, who is meant to be a little girl who is friends with Peppa and George, she ties the whole show together, and acts as a kind of host.
The whole cast proved to be really great performers - the singing was of good quality (it is always a bug bare of mine when children's theatre has bad quality performers) not here though - they all had great singing voices, lots of energy and enthusiasm, they danced well and got all the children excited and involved. If I had one criticism it would be that some of the voice interpretations of the characters could have been better. Although the main characters of Peppa, George, Mummy Pig and Daddy pig seemed fairly accurate, the other characters voices were quite different to the TV version, not a huge problem, but just something to note.
The sets were really great and so true to the show our kids all know and love. Every aspect of the performance seemed to have been really well thought about: and the addition of some fun bubble blowing and water squirting always goes down well with the kids (note: if you sit near the front you WILL get wet!). The show ran seamlessly for two 35 minute acts with a short interval for toilet and snack breaks.
I don't want to totally ruin the show for you, but I thought I'd share some photos to give you an idea of what to expect...
The show see's Peppa, George and all their friends firstly enjoying a game of hide and seek together with Daisy, the host. This is followed by Peppa & George's bedtime routine - bath and a bedtime story. The next day we follow them on their journey to the seaside with Mummy Pig, Daddy Pig and their friend Daisy. Peppa gets a lovely surprise while at the beach, and we get to meet lots of great seaside creatures in a fantastic UV light show towards the end of the performance. You'll sing along to familiar songs such as The Bing Bong Song (come on, you know you know the words!) as well as hearing some lovely new tunes as well.
Bath time with Peppa and George
Night night Peppa and George!
Journeying to the seaside...
Of course it doesn't go without a hitch or two...Daddy Pig to the rescue!
At 2 years and 3 months old Bert really enjoyed the performance and managed to sit in his seat the whole time and watch - there were children of all ages in attendance though, from newborn right up to older preschool kids, so I think no matter what age your children are, if they are fans of Peppa they'll be sure to get something out of the show.
I don't want to spoil any more for you, but if you were considering going then I hope I've reassured you that it's worth booking.
The show is touring throughout the rest of 2015-16 and you can book your tickets for the tour online here.
(Ticket prices vary depending on the venue - but range from £20 - £12 per ticket - you can also purchase a family ticket for 4 people for around £58.)
Mrs B
xxx
Disclaimer: We were gifted a family ticket to Peppa Pig Live in our hometown of Bedford in exchange for this honest review.
You can find out more info about Peppa Pig Live by liking them on Facebook.
