We’re Going On A Bear Hunt at MAST Mayflower Studios Review
DISCLOSURE – TICKETS TO SEE THE SHOW WERE GIFTED TO THE REVIEWER AND GUEST FOR THE PURPOSES OF WRITING THE REVIEW
Reviewed by Helen O
We’re Going on a Bear Hunt, We’re going to catch a big one, What a beautiful day, We’re NOT Scared!! It’s always a battle knowing how to fill the days during school holidays, with October Half Term no exception, so I was delighted to be offered the opportunity to watch and review We’re Going On A Bear Hunt at Mast Mayflower Studios in Southampton with both of my children. My son was particularly excited, as the book is one of his favourites.
We were sat in row C of Studio 1, which was in the middle of the auditorium and gave a fantastic view of the stage. The seats were extremely comfortable, with lots of leg room, so definitely no complaints there.
The show is based on the award-winning book, ‘We’re Going on a Bear Hunt’ by Michael Rosen and Helen Oxenbury, which has been brought to life by Director Sally Cookson, in a wonderfully lively fun-filled manner, with a score by Benji Bower.
There was no announcement that the show was about to start, the first we were aware that the performance had begun, was the arrival of the ‘family’ members through the same door that we had entered through. I think this immediately engaged the youngsters in the audience and piqued their interest.
The performance was based around 6 central characters – the dad, the daughter, the son, the baby (played by a puppet), Buddy the dog and last but not least, the Bear. If I’m being honest, I would have liked to have seen Buddy the dog depicted in more of a dog-like way, as the character was played by an adult male. My son had been a little confused that this character was, in fact, the family dog. However, as he was the principal musician, I can perhaps see the reasoning why he wasn’t in full costume.
I thought the way that each of the ‘challenges’ facing the family during their Bear Hunt was depicted, was brilliant, including the long wavy grass, the deep cold river, the thick oozy mud and a big dark forest. I particularly liked the use of the lighting and colouring, to change the environment. The cast really brought the characters to life and were really likeable, with a great mix of comedy and singing. The performance was pitched at the perfect level for the recommended age of the audience.
I think the ‘dad’ was portrayed brilliantly, with great humour and even if some of the jokes went over the heads of the younger audience members, they certainly gave the adults a laugh.
There was a good level of audience interaction, which really engaged everyone in the audience. I also really liked how the ‘We’re Going on a Bear Hunt’ song was repeated throughout the performance, with an opportunity for some audience participation towards the end of the show.
I felt the ending was a little rushed, from the point of the Snowstorm, with much more time being given to the challenges at the beginning of the book, which was a shame. However, it didn’t take too much away from the story. My son’s favourite part of the show, was the appearance of the bear itself, which was long-awaited, with lots of clues mooting at it’s impending arrival. Judging by the reaction of the rest of the audience, this was the point of the show that they had been looking forward to, too.
The performance ran for 55 minutes (with no interval), which I felt was just the right length of time to keep the children interested, as I know only too well that they have short attention spans, so anything longer they would have started to disengage and most likely there would have been some disruption with loss of interest or needing comfort breaks! The show is recommended for children ages 3 years and up, but my daughter is 2 years old and she remained engaged for the whole performance, which was a really pleasant surprise! There is an option to book a free under 2s ticket, if you contact the box office, which is great.
I would absolutely recommend We’re Going on a Bear Hunt live to anyone with little children, who are fans of the book. What a lovely way to spend some time with the children and getting them into seeing live performance at a theatre.
Rating: 4/5
RRP tickets range from £12.50 to £16.50, which I feel is about right, to spend on a treat such as this. There’s also a family ticket option of £62 for a family of 4 (max 2 adults).
We’re Going on a Bear Hunt is showing at MAST Mayflower Studios, 142-144 Above Bar Street, Southampton from Thursday 26th October 2023 – Sunday 29th October 2023, with three daily performances on Friday 27th October and Saturday 28th October, including one signed performance and one relaxed performance, for those seeking accessible performances.
Buy tickets here: https://www.mayflowerstudios.org.uk/what-s-on/bear-hunt-2023/