Review of Madagascar: The Musical at Royal & Derngate (Derngate), Northampton

The 2005 Dreamworks film Madagascar introduced us to a menagerie of colourful anthropomorphic animal characters shipped off to Africa after a very happy life in Central Park Zoo. This simple concept has managed to spawn three further franchise films and a musical of the same name, first performed in 2018.

Designed very much for a younger audience, Madagascar the Musical lays everything on stage with broad strokes of colour and simple storytelling and from the perspective of that audience, it works really well, keeping the majority of its audience enthralled for its relatively brief one-hour 40 minutes, which includes the interval.

The show is filled with energy from its performers, delivering everything in a manner suited to the animated background of the story and with a children's TV feeling. Alex the lion played by Joseph Hewlett is the friendliest lion you could imagine, happily getting on in the zoo with what would be his steak in the wild. Alex has a wonderful relationship with his friend Marty the zebra played by Francisco Gomes and the two performers share a couple of rather delightful songs together, which are well performed.

Also, a brilliant singing performance comes from Jarnéia Richard-Noel as friendly and full of fun hippopotamus Gloria, and alongside a great comic turn by Joshua Oakes-Rogers as Melman the giraffe completes the four main adventurous characters.

The ensemble provides all but one more of the characters and they are excellently skilled in bringing to life Max Humphries and Emma Brunton's brilliant puppets. Of the ensemble cast characters, I suspect many will enjoy the brilliant penguins and their devilish plans of escape.

Finally from the cast, and for those of a certain demographic, the most famous performer in the show, is Karim Zeroual. Famous for CBBC and Strictly Come Dancing, here he is in the role of King Julien, and he brings a performance which thrills the audience and brings to life perhaps the best musical number, familiar to most as well, I Like to Move It.

The staging is excellent, with a brilliantly constructed set from Tom Rogers, bringing the comic versions of Central Park Zoo and the land of Madagascar to life. The staging of the ship and the crates onboard is also excellently done. Unfortunately, the usual sound issues for a musical do occur with quite a lot of dialogue and lyrics lost to the music, particularly with a couple of the male performances early on.

This isn't a show that will win countless awards, but one that might inspire theatregoers of the future, much like a pantomime would. There is even a moment when Alex appears behind Marty when you can almost feel the young audience members itching to cry "he's behind you". So, from the perspective of creating a future for theatre, Madagascar the Musical is first-rate entertainment.

Lightweight family entertainment which is full of colour and energy.
⭐⭐⭐⭐

Performance reviewed: Thursday 18th July 2024 at the Royal & Derngate (Derngate), Northampton.

Madagascar: The Musical is on stage at Royal & Derngate until Sunday 21st July 2024 before continuing its tour.

For further details about the Royal & Derngate and to book tickets see their website at http://www.royalandderngate.co.uk

Photos: Phil Tragen

Review of Flashdance - The Musical at Milton Keynes Theatre, Milton Keynes

For the second week running, the Milton Keynes Theatre is overrun by a wave of eighties nostalgia as Selladoor's production of Flashdance The Musical follows hot on the heels of An Officer and a Gentlemen. However, is it nice to have more of that classic decade upon the stage? The answer mostly is yes, despite the fact that the story driving Flashdance is that light and flimsy at times, you just have to sit back and watch the dancing and the bright colours to get you through. Welding genius, Alex Owens, has her sights set for a bigger thing beyond this tired and struggling factory in Pittsburgh. Hoping to take her dancing beyond Harry's bar, she plans to make big, via Shipley Dance Academy. Then, also drifting into her life comes Nick Hurley, who initially unknown to her, happens to be the factory bosses son, the scene is set for romance. Flashdance has a generally excellent cast led with a tremendously good performance from Joanne Clifton as Alex Owens. Those famili

Review of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs at Royal & Derngate (Derngate), Northampton

Last year's pantomime at Royal & Derngate was exceptionally successful. Sharp, funny and entertaining for all ages, so, it makes a lot of sense for the theatre to mine from that success once again. So, while this year Jack and his beanstalk are exchanged for Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs , you could be forgiven for thinking at times you are watching the same show as this treads the same format throughout. It doesn't matter one jot though; this year it still feels fresh and actually stronger in many ways. Produced once again this year by Evolution Productions, co-founder Paul Hendy has again written a fine script to make a superbly entertaining pantomime, with an exceptionally strong cast. Alongside his wife, Emily Wood, also co-founder of Evolution, and here in the directing chair, this is stunning entertainment. Leading the cast as the eponymous princess Snow White is the captivating Lauren Lane, and she is a delight in the role. She has a lovely singing voice and charms

Review of Hacktivists by Ben Ockrent performed by R&D Youth Theatre at Royal & Derngate (Underground), Northampton

The National Theatres Connections series of plays had been one of my highlights of my trips to R&D during 2014. Their short and snappy single act style kept them all interesting and never overstaying their welcome. So I was more than ready for my first encounter with one of this years Connections plays ahead of the main week of performances at R&D later in the year. Hacktivists is written by Ben Ockrent, whose slightly wacky but socially relevant play Breeders I had seen at St James Theatre last year. Hacktivists is less surreal, but does have a fair selection of what some people would call odd. Myself of the other hand would very much be home with them. So we are presented with thirteen nerdy "friends" who meet to hack, very much in what is termed the white hat variety. This being for good, as we join them they appear to have done very little more than hacked and created some LED light device. Crashing in to spoil the party however comes Beth (Emma-Ann Cranston)

A Small Mind At The Theatre

Search This Blog