The Lost Present
The Lowry, Manchester
29-31 December 2013
Reviewed by Louisa Nashir
Recently my daughter Kate, age 7, and I were chosen to visit The Lowry Theatre to watch and review The Lost Present a musical play for children aged 3-7.
Both of us were very excited as we had never visited The Lowry before and we began counting down the days but as a parent of a child with Autism I was a little nervous as I had no idea how Kate would behave.
Soon enough it was Sunday aka Showtime and we made our way from our home in Eccles to The Lowry with ease and found the place easily as it was well signposted along the way.
We went along to reception and collected our tickets from the polite and friendly staff and made out way upstairs to Studio 1 where more lovely staff were waiting to show us to our seats.
The size of the studio surprised me as it was a lot bigger than I thought but also felt really cosy inside and my cramped at all. All of the seats had a terrific view of the stage and after a quick visit to the loo and a few moments wait for the studio to fill it was Showtime!
Whilst waiting the ladies from Topsy Turvy ‘Fran and Claire’ both came along and said hello, Kate shook their hands and got really excited when she realised the ladies were both in the show.
Soon enough the show began and the props both Fran and Claire used were magnificent. Each set change took place smoothly and the audience was so transfixed they barely noticed!
Both Claire and Fran entertained us with song, dance and humour and the time whizzed past! The way they both played each character was brilliant and each character came to life.
The story was easy to follow, cute and very heart-warming.
The story’s main character is a beautiful little doll called Elva who is a Christmas present for a little girl, on Christmas Eve Elva accidentally falls out of Father Christmas’ sleigh and finds herself lost.
With the help of some furry friends (Rowan the Robin, Harris the Hedgehog and Sophia the Squirrel) and the not so helpful and a bit mean snowman Elva with great bravery finds her way to the house if the little girl who wished for her.
The story really captivated the audience both young and old and really made everyone smile especially when Claire sprinkled us all with icy water and when Sophia the Squirrel was searching the audience for her nuts!
Both Kate and I thoroughly enjoyed the show and felt that both Fran and Claire went the extra mile to make everyone feel welcome and entertained!
The highlight of Kate’s day was having the poster she purchased signed by Claire, Fran and Elva.
Thank you for making today such a fantastic experience for us. I am already planning on taking Kate to watch their next play!
Excellent show with super terrific stars who will be adored by both adults and children.
Rating: 5/5 
For more information about shows and events at The Lowry visit www.thelowry.com.
