A mouse took a stroll through the deep dark wood. A fox saw the mouse and the mouse looked good. If you know this line you like most parents I know will have read the book cover to cover and probably watched the film of The Gruffalo.
This year the Gruffalo stage show has come to the Lowry Theatre in Manchester where I was lucky enough to be invited with my daughter for the opening show. Having read the write up on the website that the show lasted for 55 minutes and was aimed at 3 years and over I wasn’t worried in the slightest taking our 3 year old little girl. As we entered the Quay Theatre we were given a plastic booster seat so my little one could get a good view of the stage. The stage is smaller than the main stage but perfect for this type of performance we were both very excited as we were shown to our seats.
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As the action began the smile on my daughters face was a joy to be seen. The performance followed the story of the book with additional songs from the mouse and her two fellow actors. What I wasn’t expecting was for it to be so funny and as the children squealed with delight the adults all around roared with laughter. It was clear to me that actors really enjoyed their work and their performance was brilliant.
As the story progressed they steadily got more and more audience participation until virtually all the children were out of their seats dancing along and shouting at the stage to scare off the fox from eating the mouse. As the Gruffalo appeared on stage the excitement grew to a crescendo and it was truly fantastic.
I have been lucky enough to go to a number of shows this year and I can honestly say that this was by far the best. Both of us loved it and I can not recommend it enough. If your looking for a Christmas treat and a cracking family day out this is a must for all. The show runs from the 8th December until 7th January 2018 and you can buy tickets here.
Ian & Emma Phillips live in Bolton with their three children, two boys aged 8 and 6 and their little girl who is now 4. Emma also writes over at Fuelled by Latte.