Press tickets for review

A simple and delightful show for all the family

If there’s one book that parents and children alike recognise from cover to cover, it’s Dear Zoo. The book by Rod Campbell has been a firm favourite across households for decades, loved for its simplicity and inclusion of so many animals. It then will come with no surprise to hear that Curve theatre was truly filled with excitable children, thanks to the huge success of the book come show.

The stage is set with a large crate with a tag “from the zoo”, and we’ll soon be introduced to a warm and bubbly Sam, the zookeeper. There’s a couple of painted flowers that will be used for counting skills, and a few props, such as a watering can and a small truck. We’ll then meet Ben and Sally, the children who are best friends and expecting deliveries from Sam, and the zoo.

The theatre show then follows in consistency with the storybook. With vibrantly painted crates of all shapes and sizes which will have the children excitedly anticipating which animals it’s going to be. There are songs and music that each animal performs, and plenty of audience participation to sing along, such as the ‘munch munch’ song, where the children will embrace their inner giraffe! There’s also plenty of opportunity for audience participation with repetitive script writing such as “send it back”.

The animals primarily are wooden painted puppets which are large and well constructed. Our daughter was quite scared of the lion, and got a bit tearful at this part. There is the option to join in with a roar here, but she didn’t want to. Though, in true toddler fashion, she excitedly waved “bye lion” as he was wheeled off. Toddlers!

There’s lots more animals to meet, and they will later become life-size characters – with the frog being bouncy, and the monkey being naughty. We’ll also see a puppet snake.

The show has a puppet puppy, which the children loved. The movements by the cast were authentic. Aidan plays a silly, and goofy Ben which the children were delighted with. The cast were all great at drawing children in and offering exaggerated movements and expressions laced with friendliness and busting with energy.

The show is simple, yet effective. It’s a delightful show for toddlers and pre-schoolers. It’s a great introduction to theatre and a perfect treat for little ones this May half term – especially given the forecast!

On at Curve until June 1st