Dear Zoo Live At Lighthouse Poole Review
DISCLOSURE – TICKETS TO SEE THE SHOW WERE GIFTED TO THE REVIEWER AND GUEST FOR THE PURPOSES OF WRITING THE REVIEW
Reviewed by Lisa
‘Dear Zoo’ by Rob Campbell is an iconic lift the flap book that I grew up with and have in turn enjoyed sharing with my own children. When I saw this had been turned in to a theatre production, I was excited to take my 4 year old – and we had an amazing time! From the scenery being simple and colourful, to the fun audience participation, my little boy was dancing and singing along the whole time.
The show opens introducing all the characters – Sam, the zoo keeper, and Ben and Sally – the two children who are best friends and have written to the zoo asking for a pet. The show consists of Sam delivering boxes in turn to the stage with different animals in, and we had so much fun guessing what animal was going to be inside the next box! Some of the animals were like big cardboard cut-outs that had a moving part on them (for example the trunk on the elephant moved), and the animal sang a song and spoke. Other animals were cuddly toys or people in costume (like the monkey and frog). This was far more fun, and I wished that some of the larger animals had been either large puppets or people in costume. It was presented very well however, and the audience was encouraged to sing along, and at times to get out of their chair to jump like a frog or be a tall giraffe! There were a few tears in the audience when the lion roared, but generally everyone enjoyed roaring back at him! After each animal was found unsuitable as a pet, the audience all joined in with saying ‘I sent him back’, and we got used to hearing the next truck pull up and Sam bringing the next animal on stage.
The actors did a great job keeping the story engaging and simple for the young children, and they had beautiful singing voices. They kept my son captivated for the whole show, with it lasting for just under an hour in total which was a perfect length for this age, with no interval, and I would say it is aimed at 1-4 year olds. When I asked him what rating he would give the show out of 10, he said 1000!
We saw the show at Poole Lighthouse, which is in a great location with a car park next door and a bus and train station only a few minutes away. The theatre is fairly small and tiered, so we had a great view of the stage. Every time we have been here it has been welcoming, clean and tidy.
Overall, we had a brilliant time and it seemed that everyone around us felt the same. It was well presented, interactive, bright and fun – just what you want for toddlers when bringing one of their favourite stories to life! I would definitely recommend seeing this if you can, although you may end up with your child wanting a puppy too!
Rating: 4/5
Tickets cost £17.60
https://www.lighthousepoole.co.uk/event/dear-zoo/
For more information or to book tickets please visit their website – www.lighthousepoole.co.uk or ring the box office on 01202 280000.
Address: Lighthouse, 21 Kingland Road, Poole, Dorset. BH15 1UG.