Madagascar The Musical At Mayflower Southampton Review
DISCLOSURE – TICKETS TO SEE THE SHOW WERE GIFTED TO THE REVIEWER AND GUEST FOR THE PURPOSES OF WRITING THE REVIEW
Reviewed by Emma Booth
I went to the Mayflower Theatre in Southampton last night with a friend to see Madagascar the Musical. I think it is safe to say that everyone who has seen the much loved hilarious films of Madagascar, like us would hope that the Musical would live up to our high expectations. I had decided to go with a friend rather than take one of the children, but I was slightly worried we would be the odd ones out without any children with us. Luckily this show seemed to attract families as well as adult groups.
Right from the word go the musical numbers were coming thick and fast holding the attention of the audience from the very beginning. The show more or less follows the story of the film where you have Alex the lion, Gloria the hippo, Marty the zebra and Melman the giraffe who are residents of Central Park Zoo in New York. They manage to pull off a daring escape and end up in Madagascar where they happen to fall upon King Julian a ring tailed lemur. When you see a show of a film you can’t help but compare the two. Both my friend and I commented how the actors had got the voices of the animals just right.
We loved all of the characters but my favourite had to be King Julian, he was so funny and really stood out. Sadly Karin Zeroual who normally plays King Julian was off last night due to an injury and was replaced by Connor Keatley who was absolutely brilliant. Jarneia Richard-Noel who plays Gloria also stood out to me for her vocals, her voice was amazing. There wasn’t a single character who wasn’t brilliant. We loved the way the puppets moved, that was very clever. The whole show was so much fun.
The best musical number had to be ‘I Like to Move it Move it’, and they sung it again at the end and everyone was up on their feet clapping and singing along. There was a really great atmosphere! We had such a good time. The night went so quickly. The show is only about one hour and forty five minutes long with an interval, but I think that is a perfect amount of time for the younger guests in the audience.
In the interval we went down to the bar for a Brownie and a Rocky Road which were delicious. There are plenty of options for snacks and drinks all at reasonable prices.
The theatre is beautiful and very grand with comfy seats and great views of the stage. The staff were all very friendly and helpful.
We parked a few minutes away from the theatre as there are a couple of car parks nearby, or if you travel by train the station is literally just around the corner from the Mayflower. It is very easy to get to.
We had a great night and would definitely recommend this Musical to anyone. I would suggest that everyone goes ‘Move it Move it’ to the Mayflower for a fun evening out!
https://www.mayflower.org.uk/whats-on/madagascar-2024/ 22 – 24 August 2024 Tickets range from £15 to £44.50
Rating: 5/5