Reviewed by Kathryn Harrison
My two daughters, aged 6 and 1, are both big fans of the CBeebies show Bing, as am I! When we found out that there was to be a Bing Live theatre tour we knew we had to see it. So with great excitement we visited St Helens Theatre Royal on Tuesday afternoon to catch the show.
When we arrived there was already a great atmosphere as merchandise was being sold in the foyer and everywhere you turned there were preschoolers excitedly spotting images of their favourite characters. We took to our seats in the auditorium and eagerly awaited the start of the show. Obviously the production team know their audience as there were reminders before the show began for small people to use the toilet train if required.
As the show started and the characters arrived on stage there was lots of little screams from the audience. The characters were large, but not too large, puppets manned by one to three puppeteers. The fact that you could see the puppeteers didn’t appear to bother my children they were just pleased to see Bing, Flop and Sula! The puppets were utterly charming and very well crafted, moving in perfect time with the dialogue and seeming completely life like. The only disappointment was that the characters were voiced by the puppeteers meaning that they obviously sounded different to the tv show. As the puppets are identical to the tv characters I think this difference in sound could be confusing to some children.
After half an hour there was an interval so everyone had a chance to use the toilet train and grab a snack. This was a well timed interval as my youngest daughter was beginning to get restless and it was clear she wasn’t the only one. After a little walk around and a snack we were ready to sit and watch the second half hour of the show.
The storyline of the show was very simple, Bing with the help of his friends he learnt all about what happens at the theatre. It was a nice way of explaining things such as the lighting, curtains and bows to young children who may be experiencing it all for the first time. At the end of the main show Bing and his friends put on a performance for us the audience.
The show contains most of the characters from the tv show including Bing, Flop, Sula, Amma, Coco and Pando. In fact the only characters missing were Padget and Charlie. So for the majority of children they will get to see their favourite characters. My daughters enjoyed the performance however I wouldn’t recommend it if your children aren’t already fans of the tv show. The story in the stage version isn’t strong enough to entertain someone who doesn’t love the show.
This was a pleasant show for little ones who are familiar with and enjoy the tv show. It was magical to see my one year olds face light up when she saw the characters she loves on screen so much in front of her on stage. Going to the theatre… It’s a Bing thing!
Rating: 4/5
Tickets cost from £15 to £22 (booking fees may apply).
Bing Live is at the St Helens Theatre Royal from 18-19 September 2018, for more information or to book tickets visit www.sthelenstheatreroyal.com or call the box office on 01744 756000.
St. Helens Theatre Royal, Corporation Street, St.Helens, Merseyside, WA10 1LQ
