Reviewed by Jennifer Hopkinson
On Thursday 24th May 2018, my daughter and I had the pleasure of being asked to review Dear Zoo at the Ferneham Hall in Fareham. Ferneham Hall is situated in the centre of Fareham and has a car park for ease of parking.
As we entered the foyer at Ferneham Hall we were greeted by a quaint Dear Zoo gift stand selling a variety of souvenirs as well as a buzz of excited children and their parents, grandparents and carers. The box office is situated on the left where you are able to collect your tickets.
We proceeded to the auditorium, where we were greeted by attentive staff who helped us to our seats. Whilst we waited for the show to start there was theme music playing and a giant stand displaying the identifiable ‘Dear Zoo’ front cover. The staff were busy making sure that everyone had everything they need to enjoy the show, needless to say many booster seats were needed!
Once the show started, the stage was filled with bright colours and the actors were instantly welcoming and engaging with the audience. They engaged their young audience and involved them by getting them to join in with the songs and actions. The children were happy and loved standing up having a dance and signing to the animal songs. The story stuck closely to the book and children that were familiar with the story were able to recognise the characters and props. Most of the animals appeared from the boxes as they opened as they do in the story. Having said that the monkey and frog were brought to life by actors in costume. My daughter particularly liked the frog and was bouncing away on my knee while the frog danced. The monkey was a naughty little thing playing tricks on the characters during his time on stage.
The props were of good quality and helped to bring the characters from the book to life, the transition between scenes was seamless and left the audience with a sense of anticipation for the next animal to be sent by the zoo.
The show was 55 minutes long and was timed to be exactly right for the target audience, as it kept the young children’s, including my own, attention throughout.
I give this performance 4 out of 5 stars and would recommend taking your little one to see it.
Rating: 4/5
Dear Zoo Live is currently on tour around the UK, for more information and tour dates visit www.dearzooandfriends.com/dear-zoo-live.
For other shows at the Ferneham Hall in Fareham visit www.fernehamhall.co.uk or call the box office on 01329 231942.
Ferneham Hall, Osborn Road, Fareham, Hampshire, PO16 7DB | 01329 231942
