The First Hippo on the Moon at the Orchard Theatre Dartford Review
The First Hippo on the Moon
Orchard Theatre, Dartford
29 January to 1 February 2017
Reviewed by Louise Watts
I visited the Orchard Theatre in Dartford yesterday afternoon with my nearly 3-year-old animal loving son to see David Walliams “The First Hippo on the Moon” and I was certainly not disappointed!
David Walliams is fast becoming one of Britain’s most loved children’s authors with some even comparing him to Roald Dahl. Today’s show was based upon his story and adapted by the wonderful “Les Petits Theatre Company”. The story revolves around 2 hippos who both want to be the First Hippo to reach the Moon and along with that the accolade of being the greatest Hippo on earth. There is an understandable reason behind the rivalry between the Hippo’s but I don’t want to ruin the story by saying what that reasoning is… I will leave it to you to discover!
The set is beautiful but simple but sets the scene brilliantly for the ongoing performance. The puppetry is incredible and captivating and the costumes incredibly realistic. My son actually thought the Hippo was real! My favourite puppet was the Giraffe, closely followed by Silver Bob the Gorilla. I found myself actually believing these animals were on the stage and felt myself being drawn into the story. The story itself is very cute and on an adult level has some moral lessons underpinning it, but for the children it was nothing short of imagination at its best. Pure family puppetry brilliance! A truly imaginative family story brought to life by the incredible production crew at Les Petits Theatre Company.
There is no interval and the running time was just over an hour. The children in the audience were all happy and content during the show which proves to me that the story had their attention for the whole hour, especially when it embraced some good old toilet humour! That never fails to get the kids laughing! The show is marketed as age 3 years and upwards. I would agree with that. As I said my son is nearly 3 years old but is a regular theatre goer so is quite happy to sit and watch a performance without any problem. The bulk of the children in the audience were primary school age and I would suggest that this age is perfect. They are old enough to follow the story and understand the jokes but young enough to see the puppets as animals as the production intends.
This was my first time visiting the Orchard Theatre and I have to admit I was amazed by the size of the theatre and the facilities available within it. The theatre is easy to find situated in the heart of the town centre and parking was easy. I used the Orchard Shopping Centre car park and paid the small sum of £1.50 for 3 hours parking. This particular car park is open until midnight so would be suitable for evening performances also. Inside the theatre there was a delightful coffee shop which also sells a few snack items, such as sandwiches, chocolate and crisps. It was fairly priced with a cappuccino costing £2.50. There was also a bar and I am told there is a restaurant also, although I did not get to see it on this visit. All the staff with whom I came into contact with were friendly and polite and the whole building had a warm, welcoming atmosphere. I would certainly be more than happy to visit again.
To summarise, myself and my son had a thoroughly enjoyable time today at the Orchard Theatre watching The First Hippo on the Moon and I would not hesitate to recommend this to anyone with small children. I promise you will not be disappointed.
Tickets cost from £16.50 to £18.50 (booking fees may apply).
The First Hippo on the Moon is at the Orchard Theatre in Dartford until 1 February 2017. For more information or to book tickets click here or call the box office on 01322 220000.
The Orchard Theatre, Home Gardens, Dartford, DA1 1ED | 01322 220000