Madagascar The Musical At The Alhambra Theatre, Bradford Review
DISCLOSURE – TICKETS TO SEE THE SHOW WERE GIFTED TO THE REVIEWER AND GUEST FOR THE PURPOSES OF WRITING THE REVIEW
Reviewed by Kat Harrison
Last night, me and my little monkey headed to Bradford’s fabulous Alhambra Theatre to see Madagascar the Musical.
It’s a perfect introduction to theatre and to musicals, a great family night out with plenty of movement, lots of colour and catchy songs that will engage the youngest members of your household.
Based on the 2005 animation, the plot is super simple and easy to follow. My daughter liked that it was similar to the on- screen film she’s familiar with.
Alex the lion and his best friends – Marty the zebra, Melman the giraffe and Gloria the hippo have spent their well-fed lives at New York’s Central Park Zoo, but Marty is curious and with the help of some prodigious penguins, he heads off to explore the world – swiftly followed by the crew of crazy characters.
It’s likeable, it’s funny but hardcore musical fans will need to find their inner child. For adults, it’s best watched through the eyes of a child and I found myself taking in the reactions of my six-year-old as much as I did the live action on stage. And that was cute. She was delighted by the high-energy hijinks, in particular the puppetry that features throughout. There was plenty of laughter each time, Mason the monkey (James Hilton-Foster) popped out from various nooks. The combination of actors dressed as animals and actors operating impressive puppets is perfectly blended.
The set design is simple but clever and effectively transports the audience from zoo to ship to the wilds of Madagascar. The fantastic lighting when the animals are in crates aboard the boat makes for one of the most effective scenes.
The show is very cartoon like, which I guess in its very essence matches its inspiration. As a family we love musicals but it’s hard to categorise Madagascar alongside the likes of other child-friendly productions such as Matilda, Joseph and School of Rock. Madagascar is much more childlike in its form with cheesy dance moves and shape throwing as opposed to intricately choreographed routines. It’s more about the fun than the form. And for anyone expecting some dazzling moves from Karim Zeroual (CBBC television presenter who reached the final of ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ in 2019), his role of King Julien sees him shuffling around the stage on his knees! Admittedly though, his diddy dancing is hilarious, titillating if not technical!
It’s obvious from the programme that the cast holds a lot of talent but I felt it was difficult for them to showcase any depth in this set-up. The singing is certainly up to scratch though I can’t say there was a stand out performance. However, Madagascar comes with a huge following and the theatre erupted with applause and squeaks of delight with the first notes of “I like to move it!” The high energy of both cast and audience really came into play; and Karim for this, as the lemur-like monarch with his spirited grooves did steal the show.
There’s a couple of jokes in there for the adults that go over the kids’ heads but all in all Madagascar takes all the elements required to engage primary school children – it’s vibrant, runs at a fast pace and simply yet successfully tells a story. And for my daughter, there was the cuteness factor.
There were lots of ‘awws’ and whispers of ‘so cute’ upon meeting the inhabitants of the Madagascan jungle.
Kids will love it and through them, so will the grown-ups. As the animals escape captivity, you too will escape the daily grind.
Madagascar the Musical is at the Bradford Alhambra Theatre until Sunday 18th February. You can catch it at various venues on its UK Tour in 2024, find out more at https://www.madagascarthemusical.co.uk/tour-dates
https://www.bradford-theatres.co.uk/whats-on/madagascar
Tickets prices range from £20.75 to £40.75
Rating: 4/5
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