The Enormous Crocodile 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
Yesterday, myself and my daughter (10), spent a lovely morning at Aylesbury Waterside Theatre watching The Enormous Crocodile – The Musical. Based on the book by Roald Dahl, it’s a story of the Enormous Crocodile and his quest to find a juicy child to eat in the jungle. That quest is thwarted by the other jungle animals who find the courage to stand up to the crocodile and save the day!
This is actually one of our favourite Roald Dahl books as it’s such a fun story and one of the shorter ones so great to read with smaller children. BUT, this is where my first warning comes in. The theatre was full of pre-school children, and rightly so, it’s a fabulous introduction to theatre, but there were a handful that were terrified (this was obvious from the hysterical crying) every time the crocodile said he was going to eat a child – and that is a reoccurring theme throughout the story! Roald Dahl is not known for his fairies and unicorns, you know there is going to be a ‘baddie’ in there somewhere, so read the story first and make sure young sensitive children know what is coming. It is by no means terrifying and 99% of the children were transfixed, but I’m just saying you know your children so get ahead of the game!
The show was performed by a cast of five actors who took on a few different roles and puppets throughout. They were all brimming with enthusiasm which automatically draws you in. I would imagine it’s no mean feat trying to please a theatre full of 4 year olds so they did an amazing job. Of course, however good they were, they were always going to be upstaged by the ‘cute’ and ‘adorable’ puppets (my daughter’s words not mine), but behind every puppet there has to be a great master and they were brilliant!
The set and costumes for this show were absolutely stunning. The whole stage was transformed into a jungle. It was bright and bold throughout so the children delighted in it. Before the show had even started, the cast were already taking steps to engage the audience. As we entered the auditorium, we were each given a monkey nut (a foam one) and were told we would need it during the show. Then as we took our seats, four cast members walked among us giving the children the opportunity to hold a bug – don’t worry, it wasn’t a real one! Marry that with the catchy songs throughout, the audience participation at intervals and the little dance routine we learnt at the end, this was a wonderful show for children and indeed the whole family. Myself and my daughter laughed throughout and agreed it’s the best ‘children’s’ show we had seen.
The whole experience was only an hour with no interval but this was the perfect length for the target audience. Being a children’s show, of course you can expect a degree of noise in the auditorium, but on the whole (with the exception of the children who thought they were going to be eaten!) the little ones all sat beautifully and I think that is testament to how brilliant this show was. Highly recommend, and I’m going to say it, I would enjoy this even without kids!
Rating: 5/5
The Enormous Crocodile – The Musical is at Aylesbury Waterside Theatre until Sunday 3rd May 2026
Tickets from £18.95. Your order may incur a transaction fee of up to £3.95.
For more information and to buy tickets, please visit https://www.atgtickets.com/shows/the-enormous-crocodile-the-musical/aylesbury-waterside-theatre/