In the Night Garden Live
Reviewed by Petra Aston
The day had finally arrived for us to see In the Night Garden in Richmond, we couldn’t wait to see the live show everybody had been talking about. My children have been a big fan of the TV show for a while and love Igglepiggle and Upsy Daisy. Their adventures are always fun and very entertaining to watch, the kids are glued to the TV.
Arriving at the In the Night Garden Dome in Richmond, the kids started to get very excited when they saw the big banners of Igglepiggle and his friends. Even though we had to wait to get through the gate, the wait couldn’t have been any more entertaining with pictures of all the characters on the fence.
Finally through the door we were given two free brochures with In the Night Garden with stories, colouring in and information about the show and characters. Even though it was a very hot day, the dome was air conditioned and we couldn’t wait to get to our seats. The kids were so excited they ran through the tunnel which was leading to the seats and stage. We found the seating area, big steps, very helpful and cleverly arranged as you can sit where you want and if the kids choose to stand up that wasn’t a problem either.
On the stage we could see a big book which shows the beginning of the story and very soon could we hear the familiar voice which indicated the beginning of the show. The round tent roof above the stage had images of the opening scenes from the TV show projected on to it. This is always a favourite part for my children, a baby just about to fall asleep… round and round a little boat… and we can see Igglepiggly with his boat sailing to the garden of the night. The music was just magic, the screen so big and when the flowers started to appear it was a very special atmosphere which left the kids speechless with their mouths wide open. Within seconds the stage comes alive and the kids can’t believe what they were seeing. The Ninky Nonk comes out from behind the curtains. And not long to go before we can see one of their favourite characters, Igglepiggle. The stage represented the magical forest with the large daisies and brightly coloured pompom flowers. All the children in the audience screamed with excitement, and Igglepiggle started to dance and sing. You can see and hear all the laughter and cheers from the children, it’s so lovely to see how much they enjoy it.
The production is very polished. The show uses a combination of people dressed in costumes and puppeteers to replicate the character sizes. The story was about Igglepiggle losing his blanket and started with the Ninky Nonk. Igglepiggle walked around the garden meeting all his friends in turn, MakkaPakka, Upsy Daisy and the Tomliboos but he loses his blanket on the Ninky Nonk. The Pontipine children eventually find the blanket and Igglepiggle is happy again. All the characters danced and sang their unique songs and the singing birds were shown on the big screen. All the kids danced and sang along to it and even the Nicky Nonk was driving around on the screen. Upsy Daisy got the biggest cheer when she came on stage and blowing kisses to the kids made my little girls day. The Pontipines were there as well and were played by thepuppeteers. At the beginning I thought the helpers would disturb the show as they are on stage as well but they fit in so well with the face impressions and dancing.
You can’t fault the show, facility or staff, but we feel it could be an expensive day out for a family of 4. The price for the tickets and the souvenirs are a little bit expensive for a family.
All in all though a fantastic show which our kids have absolutely loved, a truly magical day out. My kids were mesmerised by it and although its only 40 minutes it keeps the young kids attention perfectly. The staff were all very helpful and the dome was very family friendly with buggy part and baby changing facility. I would definitely recommend this show to all In the Night Garden Fan, an absolute must.
A big 5/5 for this show.
Rating: 5/5 
In the Night Garden Live tour Dates:
Cannon Hill Park, Birmingham – 25 July to 8 August 2013
The Trafford Centre, Manchester – 15 August to 1 September 2013
For more information or to book tickets visit www.nightgardenlive.com
