Emily Brown and The Thing at The Lowry, Manchester Review
Emily Brown and The Thing
The Lowry, Manchester
28 October to 2 November 2014
Review by Lucy Knight
with Heidi (aged 4)
All Emily Brown (Anna Wheatley) wanted to do was go to sleep with her stuffed bunny Stanley (Sam Donovan). But no matter how hard she tried ‘The Thing’ (Chris Gunter) was keeping her awake. If he was not crying for his cuddly blanket which had blown into the deep dark wood, he had a rumbly tummy and needed his bedtime milk or he needed his special green medicine from the witch in the basement.
Emily Brown was sent on a mission for each of his special requests in order to get herself some rest. She and Stanley came to the aid of ‘The Thing’ and tracked down his items to stop him from crying.
The scene was set with sound clips of children and adults explaining what kept them up at night. The stage was set at Emily Brown’s home and the three actors playing the part of Emily, Stanley the Rabbit and The Thing were amazing. They kept the audience entertained throughout. Especially Chris, the actor who played the Thing, he took on the role of the wolf, polar bear and even the witch too. Each cast member interacted with the audience brilliantly.
My daughter was enthralled throughout the show. She was in hysterics laughing at most points during the play, along with the rest of the audience.
Heidi loved the Gruffalo when she saw it last year, so I knew she would love this show. She exclaimed to me after the show had finished that it was ‘amazing!’ her new favourite word of the moment…
The story is aided with catchy tunes and an original sound track. Emily and Stanley switch from human to puppet throughout. This did however, confuse my daughter who asked ‘is that their favourite teddy bears’ to which I responded ‘no that’s Emily and Stanley, they have shrunk’ she seemed to understand and no more was mention, the giggling did continue.
We’re regulars to The Lowry Theatre in Salford as we live close by. Parking is free with a purchase of over £5 in The Lowry Outlet Mall. You receive a voucher with your purchase which you scan at the ticket machine when inserting your parking ticket. This is a new system and the first time we had used it. The car park is just a couple of minutes walk from the theatre.
As always the ushers were polite and helpful and always make our visits pleasant.
We had a fantastic trip to The Lowry to see this amazing show.
Rating: 5/5 
Tickets cost from £12.50 to £15 (includes £2 booking fee).
Emily Brown and The Lowry is at The Lowry in Manchester until 2 November 2014. For more information or to book tickets click here or call the box office on 0843 208 6000.
The Lowry, Pier 8, Salford Quays, Manchester, M50 3AZ | 0843 208 6000
