Reviewed by Alex Wilde
Our household is full of Disney fans, so when we were invited to attend the opening night of ‘Madagascar The Musical’ at the Regent Theatre, Stoke-on-Trent, we were a little underwhelmed. Of course, we knew of the highly successful franchise, its characters and the gist of the story, but had never watched any of the films. So would it be worth driving an hour to Stoke on a school night? Me and my six-year old daughter were about to find out…
The drive to Stoke was free of traffic and we arrived 35 minutes before the show’s scheduled start time of 7:30pm. Routes to the theatre were well signposted and nearby parking was plentiful. We parked on a street with pay and display evening rates; a five minute walk from the theatre.
The theatre stands within a clean, well-lit and safe pedestrianised area of the city centre which has benefited from extensive regeneration. I noticed a good selection of independent restaurants and bars. Although, the exterior of the building is quite drab, once you turn the corner onto the main street the impressive entrance dominates the parade creating a social focal point. Many theatregoers were out front enjoying drinks in the brief dry spell of the evening.
The theatre reopened in 1999 after being restored to its former art-deco glory – the main foyer is elegant and spacious. We were greeted warmly on entering and felt a buzz in the air. There were clearly a lot of excited families and fans out tonight. We explored the various levels of the theatre and I found the bars/concession stands to be well manned, stocked and of standard prices for theatres. There were also number of jungle decorations adoring the walls and a souvenir stall selling themed products.
We took our comfortable seats in the stalls below the glorious domed ceiling and settled in for the show to begin. Glancing around the packed auditorium, I expected to be surrounded by other families. However, that was not exclusively the case – it was a diverse group. Madagascar clearly has a broad appeal. Had we been missing out all these years…?
The lights lowered and a hush fell. Centre stage, a sleeping zebra awoke in what we were led to believe was the morning haze of the African savannah, but was in fact the opening to a hullaballoo in New York City Zoo. Zookeepers and animals transitioned around the stage through clever revolving set pieces, complimented by the sounds and lights of a city awakening.
Luckily for us uninitiated, the main characters of Alex the star-attraction lion, Marty the despondent Zebra, Gloria the sassy hippo and Melman the hypochondriac giraffe were introduced in a catchy opening number. Mingling amongst them was a chimpanzee and a quartet of penguins who seemed to have their own agenda. The dancing and singing was passionate and energetic.
This was a cast who were clearly giving it there all!
The small number of lead actors were all wearing incredible body morphing animals suits emulating the natural world and reflecting their character’s personality, their human shapes were practically unrecognisable. Dancing in them was a feat all of its own! Characters shorter in stature were controlled by sprightly puppeteers who formed the wider ensemble.
The story moved a rapid pace: penguins plotting their escape to Antarctica with military precision collided with the 10th Birthday celebrations of the disillusioned Marty (the fabulous soul star Posi Morakinyo in his debut role – definitely a rising star of stage). Before the prideful Alex (2016 XFactor winner Matt Terry) could belt out another tune, the animals were loose – shutting down the NYC subway system. The toe-tapping, laugh out loud musical encounter at the platform involving the animals, a jittery elderly resident and police officer was the stand out act of the first half. The whole team sang us to “Relax, Be Cool, Chill Out”. A catchy number we hummed into the intermission. I couldn’t believe 45 minutes had elapsed, that’s a sign of an awesome show when you haven’t noticed the time. Based on the clapping and whooping the rest of the audience agreed!
The intermission was a punchy 20 minutes, perfect for the young children in the audience. The Regent staff were out in force providing affable and pacy service in all areas. It was lovely for my daughter to be asked if ‘she was enjoying the show’.
Eagerly back to our seats for the second-half, non-stop laughs and uplifting hits, sometimes blending in pop favourites, continued to delight. Neurotic Melman (a convincing Connor Dyer) and Gloria (the vocally talented Hannah Victoria) shared more of the limelight. With much fanfare, the stars were marooned in Madagascar and crossed paths with the scene-stealing King Julian played by Kieran Mortell. An incredibly talented impressionist who was clearly enjoying himself way too much and kept the crowd and the cast grinning from ear to ear. We were introduced to more puppets – the lemurs all had unique traits and it was amazing how the penguin puppeteers switched between identities with confidence and ease. The story and the music flowed, I can honestly say I didn’t look at my watch once. Each of the main characters continued on their personal journeys of self-discovery and realisation throughout the second part as the bonds of friendship were tested. Ultimately friendship prevailed and the animals got what they most desired.
It felt all to soon when the closing number arrived, we wanted more! More hits, more laughs, more dancing! Amazingly our wish was granted – when you go, and you must, keep the applause coming and stick around at the end and you may get an unexpected encore…
Although I had no strong feelings or pre-conceptions of Madagascar the Musical in any way, I am so glad we went to see the show. It was incredible uplifting family entertainment from start to finish! We may need to mix Dreamworks pizazz with our Disney magic from now on…
My advice: YA BEST MOVE IT, MOVE IT, MOVE IT and catch Madagascar on tour before it escapes for good!
A well-earned five stars!
Rating: 5/5
Tickets cost from £13 (plus £3.65 transaction fee).
Madagascar The Musical is at the Regent Theatre in Stoke from 25-29 September 2019, for more information or to book tickets visit www.atgtickets.com/regent-theatre or call the box office on 0844 871 7649.
Regent Theatre, Piccadilly, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, ST1 1AP | 0844 871 7649
