Babe, The Sheep-Pig at the Wycombe Swan Review
Reviewed by Louise Styles
Watching Babe, The Sheep-Pig on Monday night at the Swan Theatre in High Wycombe was a real family treat. Based on the 1983 children’s story by Dick King-Smith, and then the 1995 movie, the cast brought to live the cute little pig in a great story about making friends and going on adventures.
The story tells of Farmer Hoggett’s farm and the unexpected arrival of Babe the piglet. He soon gets taken under the wing of mummy sheep dog Fly, who sets about showing him around the farm and introducing him to all that live there. The cast of 8 did a great job of bringing each animal to life on a fantastic ‘farmyard’ set complete with authentic looking barn which allowed for many staging options and scene setting.
I’d forgotten just how much of a family favourite this story was and it certainly held the attention of my daughter who couldn’t wait for the end of the interval to know ‘what’s going to happen next??’, after a tense ending to the previous half. The puppetry involved with Babe was well executed, he trotted everywhere, even sliding down the exterior of the barn into the yard and you really can focus on the pig and not the puppeteer holding him. Other puppets featured in the show included a feisty farm cat, a trio of ducks and a large ewe called Ma.
The show is sprinkled with lots of catchy tunes that have a folk/country feel to them and it was great to get involved by helping Fly teach Babe a special password to remember. There were laughs, smiles, a tiny bit of sadness and overall the story is a great reminder that being ‘different’ shouldn’t stop you from achieving. I am so pleased I took my daughter to see this show, we both loved it and the cast and crew should be very proud of their production.
The Wycombe Swan has a car park mere seconds from the door which is ideal. It also uses number plate recognition so you pay on exit which was fantastic for those of us who often forget carpark change! A short walk away are the towns restaurants and bars so the theatre is well situated for a full night out. Everyone we met at the theatre last night smiled and asked if we were having an enjoyable time and it was great fun to have a snap taken on the hay bales beside the Babe banners on the way out. If you get the opportunity to take your children to see Babe, The Sheep-Pig you definitely should it was a real treat!
Rating: 5/5
Tickets cost from £18 to £20 (Family ticket (4) £60), includes booking fee.
Babe, The Sheep-Pig is at the Wycombe Swan Theatre from 20-22 March 2017, for more information or to book tickets visit wycombeswan.co.uk or call the box office on 01494 512 000
Wycombe Swan, St. Mary Street, High Wycombe, HP11 2XE | 01494 512 000
