Scooby-Doo Live at the Mayflower Theatre Review
Scooby-Doo! Live on Stage
The Mystery Of The Pyramid
Mayflower Theatre, Southampton
22-25 May 2014
Reviewed by Nicola McCallum
Scooby-Doo cartoons are a firm favourite in our house and if given the choice my boys would choose to watch it probably all day, every day. When the chance arose to see Scooby-Doo live on stage at the Mayflower Theatre in Southampton I was excited about breaking the news to my eldest as I knew his would be his dream come true.
On arrival at the Mayflower Theatre we were greeted warmly by a member of staff. There were plenty of staff visible throughout the foyer and each one was well presented, cheerful and happy to assist. The staff all seemed to go that extra mile approaching visitors asking if they required any assistance and what really stood out was them offering free bags to those with dripping wet umbrellas (to which I was extremely grateful for). The foyer was clean and bright and full with excitable children.
To be honest I was a little unsure what to expect of this performance so I was keen to have a quick look through the programme before the show began. The programme was a glossy brochure which not only contained all the information about the show but it also doubled up as an activity pack for the kids to enjoy. Inside activities include a word search, pizza maze, spot the difference, Sudoku, a quiz relating to the show and a picture to colour in. Judging by the pictures in the programme I knew my 5 year old son and his best friend would not be disappointed with the show.
From the moment the curtain opened to the Mystery Machine arriving onstage with cast waving to the audience, we were hooked. The cast had the audience clapping along with the music in the first number and headed into the audience to greet some excitable children. I was blown away with my first impression. The attention to detail was unexpected, each character was not only dressed as they appear in the cartoon but great care had gone into their appearance. My son had no question in his mind that those that he saw on stage were the actual characters from the cartoon. Each costume was well designed, looked like it was of good quality with vivid crisp colours. The life size Scooby-Doo did not look out of place on stage and even displayed the same characteristics that we have grown to know from the cartoon.
Act 1 set the scene for the mystery and introduced the characters through plenty of music and dancing which at times saw the audience clapping along and dancing too. It became apparent from early on that each cast member was an accomplished singer and dancer. Great stand out vocal performances came from Douglas Walker (Otto) and Eleanor O’Grady (Mira) but overall I could not fault any of the characters performance. Each individual displayed all the characteristics and mannerisms of their characters making the audience believe the journey they were on.
This performance was an excellent mix of song and dance with plenty of opportunity for the audience to sing and clap along too. It was easy for young children to follow and plenty of humour throughout that could be appreciated by children and grown-ups. It was great to see so many children sitting on the edges of the seats cheering, laughing and shouting out to assist the cast which in turn led to a great atmosphere in the building.
After a short 45 minutes the lights came up for the interval. The good old tradition of being able to enjoy an ice-cream was enjoyed by many and there were plenty of alternatives with the Mayflower offering a selection of sweets and drinks along with plenty of Scooby-Doo merchandise which could be purchased in the foyer. Although the toilets were a little on the small size (most of us trying to fit into a cubicle with at least one child in tow) they were clean, tidy and well stocked. It didn’t take much encouragement to get the kids backs into their seats for Act 2.
The second act contained more of the ghosts, in this case, mummies, that are familiar with the Scooby-Doo cartoons. The highlights being the traditional ghost chasing scenes that are in every Scooby-Doo cartoon to the children cheering to the characters “They are behind you”. The Mystery Incorporated team hatched a plan to capture the mummies before unmasking them to the phrase “and we would have gotten away with it had it not been for you meddling kids”.
This performance exceeded all my expectations. I have been to many performances for children but this has been the best presented and highest quality of performing I have seen outside of the residential shows seen in London. Every aspect of the show is of the highest quality from the scrip writing, chorography, production to the casting. I think this show is comparable to the likes of The Lion King and Shrek while at the same time has the feel of a very modern up to date version of a pantomime.
Considering the high quality of this show this is great value for money with the opportunity to purchase family tickets enabling families to make more of a saving. This show will stay in my mind for a long time and I would highly recommend it to all. Judging by the reaction of my 5 year old he thoroughly enjoyed it as much as I did. I would not hesitate to give this show 5 out of 5 as this show has exceeded all my expectations to the stage I wish to thank the cast and production team for all their efforts in creating and delivering such a memorable performance.
Rating: 5/5 
Tickets cost from £14.50 to £20.96, Family ticket (max 4 people, minimum 1 adult) £58.
For more information or to book tickets click here or call the box office on 02380 711811.
Scooby-Doo Live is touring the UK until the end of August. See it in a theatre near you! For more information and tour dates visit www.scoobydoo-live.com.
Mayflower Theatre, Commercial Road, Southampton, SO15 1GE | 02380 711811
