Madagascar The Musical At Aylesbury Waterside Theatre Review
DISCLOSURE – TICKETS TO SEE THE SHOW WERE GIFTED TO THE REVIEWER AND GUEST FOR THE PURPOSES OF WRITING THE REVIEW
Reviewed by Mel Randle
When I was asked to review Madagascar The Musical, of course I jumped at the chance because I love musical theatre. But, this is not a show I wanted to see or would have chosen to see myself. I have never seen the film although I vaguely know the characters and the plot. I decided to take along my man-child who has seen the film many times and my seven year old daughter. I thought this would be right up their street!
This is definitely a family show. The auditorium was filled with children of all ages (under 3s are not admitted). Of course with this type of audience you are going to get a more relaxed theatre etiquette. Expect talking, rustling and raucous laugher in parts you didn’t even think were funny! The show started at 7pm and was finished around 9pm which made it an earlier night for children.
Starting with a positive, the set is absolutely gorgeous! The colours were magnificent and the lighting just brought the whole thing to life. The staging was constantly incorporated into the show and props were seamlessly moved on and off by the actors without drawing too much attention to it. Shipping boxes framed the stage and delivered a surprise or two throughout! The set was definitely a 10/10 for me!
Now for my negative – the costumes. For the majority of the animals they used brilliant (and really cute!) puppetry. However, the three main characters, Marty, Gloria and Alex, were just the actors in costume – mainly decorated leotards to look like the animals they were portraying. This is where I struggled. These alone would have been fine, but because they shared the stage with the puppet animals, I just couldn’t buy into them. Personally I think the show should have been one or the other, puppets or costumes, not both because this just didn’t work for me.
The music was very loud, sometimes making it difficult to hear the words and for me the songs were not very memorable. The cast were fab with great voices but the lion just didn’t seem ‘liony’ enough. One minute he would be roaring, then the next singing in a nice sweet voice. Again, it didn’t work for me.
That said, the manchild and child completely disagree with me. They absolutely loved the show and so did the rest of the audience it seemed. My daughter gave it a 20/10!! There is something for everyone – cute animals, singing, dancing, jokes, audience participation. Somebody behind me summed it up as a ‘feel-good’ show. I would say it has a very Pantomime feel to it.
Two things really stood out and need a mention– the penguins and King Julien.
The penguins were the show stealer. Apparently this is the case in the movie? Witty one liners and really cute puppets true to the film. The show is a just just for the penguins!!
And King Julien…. Credit where credit is due to Karim Zeroual (CBBC & Strictly) just for making an awesome character whilst shuffling around the stage on his knees!! He was funny, had everyone laughing out loud and then got everyone on their feet for ‘I Like To Move It Move It’ which I think really rounded off the night. Everyone left with very happy children!
I would definitely recommend this as a family outing, particularly if you are a Dreamworks fan. It’s a great way to introduce children to the theatre. I don’t think you need to have seen the film to follow the plot, but you may appreciate the show more than me if you have!
Rating: 4/5 (more based on my families enjoyment)
Madagascar The Musical Live at Aylesbury Waterside Theatre
Wed 15 Nov – Sat 18 Nov 2023
Tickets available from £13.00 subject to a transaction fee of £3.80
1 hour 45 minutes incl. interval
https://www.atgtickets.com/shows/madagascar-the-musical/aylesbury-waterside-theatre/