There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly at the Pyramid Arts Centre Review

Reviewed by Kathryn Harrison

On Saturday afternoon my husband and I, along with our two daughters, visited the Pyramid Arts Centre in Warrington to watch There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly. This classic tale was brought to life by The People’s Theatre Company to celebrate the 45th anniversary of the much loved children’s story.

This production had an unusual twist to the original story in that the story was being told by two visitors from the planet Toefluff. These two aliens come from a planet powered by storytelling and were on the hunt for the ultimate story, There was an old lady who swallowed a fly. However they had encountered a few problems and needed our help to complete the story in order to refuel their ship so they could return home. The show had many nursery rhymes for the children to sing along to and there was a lot of interaction between the three actors on stage and the audience. There was a great mix between live, on stage action and animation, this combination kept my youngest daughter engaged much longer than either of those mediums alone would have done. As the show went on we pieced the tale together with lots of repetition of the story. This repetitive storytelling was great for both my girls, for my older daughter she enjoyed reciting the words along with the actors and for my younger daughter it definitely helped the story stick in her head as she has been repeating parts of it to us all evening.

Our daughters are aged 6 and 2, due to their difference in ages it’s becoming increasingly difficult to find activities and shows they both enjoy together. This show was brilliant at entertaining the pair of them and keeping them both engaged. There was lots of audience participation, giving them the opportunity to stand up, move around and shout out. At around an hour long the performance was the perfect length to capture children’s imaginations before losing their attention. It was also a very funny show that had not only the children laughing but the grown ups too. A lovely way to spend family time together.

Rating: 5/5

There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly is currently on tour around the UK, for more information and tour dates visit ptc.org.uk.

For other shows at the Pyramid Arts Centre / Parr Hall in Warrington visit www.pyramidparrhall.com or call the box office on 01925 442884.

Pyramid & Parr Hall, Cultural Quarter, Palmyra Square South, Warrington, WA1 1BL