Cinderella at the Tivoli Wimborne - Pantomime Review

 Wimborne, a quaint town nestled in the heart of Dorset, has once again transported its residents and visitors to a world of enchantment and magic with its annual pantomime. The Tivoli Theatre, with its historic charm and intimate ambiance, served as the perfect stage for Cinderella's enchanting tale.

Cinderella at the Tivoli, Wimborne

We were excited to be invited along to opening night of Cinderella and knew we were in for a treat from the very beginning. Regulars to the Wimborne panto will recognise lots of faces from previous shows and I was excited to hear that Courtney Jackson was returning, this time playing the the role of Fairy Godmother. Also returning to the Tivoli are Luke Attwood and Brandon Nicholson - we saw these two as the ugly sisters back in 2018 and they were very funny.

Courtney Jackson and his pumpkins

The auditorium was full of families and large groups of beavers and cubs (including my children!) and there was a real buzz in the air as the lights dimmed and the panto began.

The show was full of high energy singing and dancing, and plenty of jokes that sailed right over the children's heads! The set design was vibrant and each scene moved flawlessly into the next. The carriage scene was absolutely magical and children will gasp in wonder! The costumes were fantastic, and a special nod must go to the Ugly Sisters who had quite the wardrobe and wig collection!

Ugly Sisters and Cinderella

Cinderella's cast were all so talented and leading lady Lucia-Jade Barker had great chemistry with Prince Charming. Buttons, played by Lee Redwood (who also writes and directs the panto) was a joy to watch. From his hilarious DVD gag, to his emotional solo (which the kids loved!), he had the audience rooting for him from the start.

I love the bits in the panto that go wrong, although you're never quite sure whether the calamity is actually meant to be happening or not! One such moment involved a sock, an ugly sister and a wig and we were in absolute stitches. My kids said this part was the highlight for them!

This is our 5th Wimborne panto that we have seen and my son Elliot said this was the best yet. We had a fantastic night and left feeling full of cheer. Thank you for having us!

You can catch Cinderella the Tivoli right up until 2nd January, so don't delay, go and book those tickets!

*Disclaimer - We were invited along to the panto in exchange for an honest review

The Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly at Lighthouse Poole - Review

As a family we love going to the theatre to see family friendly shows and we are spoilt for choice in our local area. The Lighthouse Poole is our local theatre and they have a wide range of live shows including a fabulous line up of kid friendly performances. 

Over the Easter holidays, the People's Theatre Company bought their fantastic live show to Poole - The Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly. This is a story I remember reading as a little girl and as always with these kind of shows, I was really intrigued to see how a short children's book could be turned into an hour long show! 

As we took our seats, the stage was simply set with a sofa, fridge and a simple window backdrop. The story began and we were introduced to the old lady - who was a spritely old thing! We also met an alien and a space traveller called Nambang from the planet Toefluff. 

Photo credit - PTC

As you may have guessed, the story is not quite as you expect! I won't give anything away but let's just say, the audience are very much encouraged to join in with the songs. The singing helps the old lady finish the story so we (and the aliens) can see what happens. How does she eat all those animals? Does she die?! 

Photo Credit - PTC

At just over an hour, this was the perfect amount of time to keep my little ones entertained. I think the alien story line went over their heads a little but they found it hilarious watching the animation of when the old lady eats all the animals. The audience participation was fun and very suited for the age range in the audience - even Erin (2) knew most of the songs so it was fab for her to be able to join in. 

Elliot's favourite part (and I knew it would be!) was getting to shout "PERHAPS SHE'LL DIE!!!!" at the end of every segment. He was a bit over enthusiastic at times haha! 

The icing on the cake for the children was spotting the characters in the foyer after the show - Erin's a bit funny with people dressed up but even she had her photo with the alien! 

Thank you PTC for a fun afternoon - we hope see more of your shows in the future :)

For more information and tour dates, check out the PTC website

**Disclaimer - We were provided with press tickets for the purpose of this review but our reviews are always honest! 

Dick Whittington Pantomime - Lighthouse Poole - Review

We have been taking the children to the local pantomime at the Lighthouse for the last few years and always had a really fun time. The productions seem to get better and better and this year was no exception!

Dick Whittington was written and directed by Peter Duncan and Chris Jarvis - Chris also plays the role of Dick. Parents with kids a certain age will no doubt be very familiar with Chris from his CBeebies shows! He's definitely one of our favourite CBeebies stars and we knew we'd be in for a treat with him involved.

I have to admit I wasn't familiar with the story of Dick Whittington - we all know that he goes to London in search of fame and fortune but that was about the limit of my knowledge! I was looking forward to seeing how the story would come to life...and were the streets really paved with gold?

The story of Dick Whittington begins with Fairy Bow Bells and a bang and the energy, laughter and entertainment didn't let up through out the whole show! Chris Jarvis makes a brilliant Dick, he is instantly likable and the crowd really get on his side. His sidekick Tommy the cat was fantastically played by Sammy Phillips - she might not have had a speaking part but she certainly captivated the audience with her facial expressions and movement!

Allo Allo favourite Richard Gibson is back on stage playing the lovable, but dippy Alderman Fitzwarren while his daughter Alice, and future Mrs Whittington is played very well by Katie Arundell.

Panto wouldn't be panto without a dame to bring the comedy and this year Dame Dolly Donuts (played by Dereck Walker) had the audience in fits of laughter with her cheeky innuendos and dazzling outfits!

The stars of the show for me though were the rats. We know there are lots of rats in London but I have never seen one in a leather jacket until now!! Led by King Rat (and expertly played by Craig Rhys-Barlow), they were brilliant villains and had Elliot booing and hissing at the stage!

It was a fantastic production and the cast and crew worked their socks off to entertain us. From the sets, to the costumes, to the music, to the local jokes, even the Baby Shark underwater scene, there was something for everyone! My favourite part was the 12 Days of Christmas musical number - it was fast, bonkers and I will never be able hear the original in the same way ;)

The panto finished with a big old singalong to Abba which had the audience on their feet and it's safe to say, we were thoroughly entertained!

You can catch Dick Whittington at the Lighthouse until 31st December - for more info and to book tickets click HERE

Dinosaur World Live at Lighthouse Poole - Review

If you are a regular reader of this blog then you might have guessed that Elliot likes dinosaurs a bit. Well, not just a bit - he is dinosaur crazy and has been since he was a toddler!

Recently, a show called Dinosaur World Live roared into our local theatre and I just knew we had to go!

Suitable for all the family (3+), this interactive show introduces us to Miranda, who grew up on a remote island off the coast of South America where dinosaurs still roamed. Miranda was very bubbly and engaging and chatted to the audience about her parents who were palaeontologists and how she looks after the dinosaurs.

Throughout the show, the audience are introduced to 6 different dinosaurs, from little baby ones to big ginormous ones! You're probably wondering how on earth they got dinosaurs to go on tour but they are actually puppets. And very very clever puppets! Even though you can obviously see the cast controlling the puppets (complete with noises!), they are so realistic and by the end of the show you almost don't see them as puppets.

Children from the audience were invited to come up on stage and help look after the dinosaurs - feeding them, and even brushing them. Miranda did a great job at putting the kids to ease in what could have been an intimidating encounter!

Our favourite moment was when Titus the  T-Rex came out on stage - the lights dimmed, there was smoke...and a deafening roar! Elliot did jump out of skin at this part so I think it could be a bit scary for little ones - although our friends were sat nearer to the front of the stage and their baby thought it was hilarious!

At the end of the show, the audience were invited to queue up along the stage for a special meet and greet with one of the dinosaurs. This could have been chaotic but actually everyone queued quite nicely and we didn't have to wait too long to get up close to the Segnosaurus! You could also meet the baby triceratops in the foyer which proved very popular.

Overall we really enjoyed the show. At just under an hour it was the perfect length to keep children entertained and the perfect mix of facts and fun!

Dinosaur World Live is currently touring the UK so check out the website for more info and tickets

*A big thank you to my friends Liska and Andy for letting me use their photos - my phone died 2 minutes before the show began!

DEAR ZOO LIVE - LIGHTHOUSE POOLE

There aren't many children's books that are still as popular today as they were back in the day. But Dear Zoo is one of those classics that everyone has read! First released in 1982, this book has been a massive hit with children over the years and has sold more than 8 million copies worldwide.

Dear Zoo has now been transformed into a colourful stage show and we were lucky enough to see it when it came to the Lighthouse, Poole.

If you're not familiar with the book, it tells the story of Ben (played by Harrison Spiers in the show) who writes to the zoo requesting a pet. Lots of animals are sent..but not all of them are suitable! It is such a simple book and perfect for little ones and I was quite intrigued to see how it would work on the stage.

As we entered the theatre, the stage was set out as a brightly covered garden. With a brief introduction from Sam the Zookeeper (Aaron Spendelow), we were introduced to Ben and his friend Sally (Molly Waters). Bounding around with the stage with lots of enthusiasm, they were engaging and very believable as their characters!

Soon, the zoo animals started arriving with Sam the Zookeeper. Following the illustrations in the book, the props/animal crates were all immediately recognisable and the children were very keen to see what was inside. With some animal songs and lots of audience interaction, the children in the audience were entralled.

Most of the animals were puppets but the naughty monkey and the frog were hopping around the stage causing mayhem!

If you know the story then you'll know that eventually, Sam brings an animal which is a bit more suitable but I won't give away too much ;)

This is a lovely stage show and perfect for an introduction to theatre for children. The recommended age range is 2-6 but I think younger audiences would enjoy it too, Erin certainly did and she's only 15 months old. The show is 50 minutes long which is just the right length of time to hold their attention. It helps that audience participation is encouraged so you don't feel so bad if your child gets a bit fidgety!

The Dear Zoo Live show is currently touring the UK, for more information on dates and how to book tickets, take a look at their website http://www.dearzooandfriends.com/dear-zoo-live

*Disclaimer - We were provided these tickets in exchange for an honest review but I think the big smile in the photo above says alot about how much he enjoyed it! :)

ANDY & THE ODD SOCKS ON TOUR! (EASTER 2018)

If you hadn't already guessed, we are pretty big fans of Andy and The Odd Socks! Elliot's been a fan of Andy since he was very young (he's always been really into dinosaurs) and it was a natural progression to become fans of his band too.

Andy and The Odd Socks sing funny, catchy songs and have been entertaining families up and down the country over the past few week weeks as they embarked on their biggest tour yet!

We were lucky enough to catch them at their Bristol show last week and we had a fab time as always. Being super organised we arrived very very early for the show and although it meant a bit of waiting around, it did mean we were one of the first ones in and able to nab the coveted front row seats woohoo!

clutching two of his faves - his sister and a sausage roll ;)

The show itself was brilliant as usual - high energy, lots of audience participation and lots of dancing from the kids (and parents!) in the crowd. The Dinosaur Football Legend Megamatch song even had a t-rex which came bouncing up the aisle along with the giant football that narrowly avoided my head haha!

Ninja Pig required some help from the audience and a willing Dad came on stage to be dressed up - to be fair he did very well keeping in time with the dancing!

The highlight for Elliot was Ghostbusters. He's always loved that song and even more so now it's been covered by Andy - this version is just so catchy and loved the bands Ghostbuster costumes!

Cousin Mac was a new addition to the band and he seamlessly took over keyboard and vocals - we're not sure where Random Keith has gone, Elliot said "perhaps he's poorly?" :)

Rapping robots

It was lovely to hear Unique again, such a great song with such an important message - and so blimmin' catchy too, my sister had it stuck in her head for days after the show!

We were lucky enough to have meet and greet tickets (along with most the audience judging by the size of the queue!) and Elliot got one of his pictures signed by the band which we are going to frame for his wall. He loved it that the band recognised him again too! Erin wasn't quite so keen on posing for a photo - this is the exact face she pulled when she met Father Christmas!!

Andy and The Odd Socks are playing a ton of gigs this year including Shepherds Bush London, Ipswich, all the Butlins locations and a whole host of festivals.  For more info and  tour dates, check out their website: http://www.andyandtheoddsocks.com/

We loved our day out in Bristol and can't wait for our next Odd Socks show! 

ANDY'S DINO RAPS - BREWERY SQUARE, DORSET

If you have children of a certain age, they will no doubt be familiar with Andy Day and his dinosaur adventures. It's staple viewing in this house and has been since Elliot was old enough to know what a dinosaur was!! And if you are a regular reader of this blog, you'll know that we are big fans of Andy!

Brewery Square in Dorchester recently announced that Andy would be coming along on Easter weekend to perform some of his dino raps so of course we knew we had to be there! Elliot was insistent he was to wear his Andy costume so the weeks leading up to the show were mostly spent googling "how to make a gizmo"... 

The day of the show dawned and Elliot and I made our way down to Dorchester on the train. This itself was a bit of a novelty for Elliot as we rarely go anywhere on the train despite living just minutes away from the station! Erin was spending the day with my parents and my husband working, so it was lovely to have the day just with Elliot to spend some quality time together. 

We were quite early arriving into Dorchester so we decided to have a go at the Easter Egg trail - this was a brilliant, free initiative run by Brewery Square. We had to find 20 pictures of Easter eggs that were hidden around the square in shops and restaurants. Most were on the front windows but a few were hidden inside and it took a bit more searching! 

As luck would have it, we bumped into Andy by chance as he arrived to set up the stage - Elliot ran across the square shouting "Andy!!!!!" - I hope Andy wasn't hoping to sneak in without anyone noticing because I'm sure the whole of Dorchester heard Elliot's voice ;)

Midway through our easter egg trail, we noticed that it was starting to get quite busy so we decided to get a spot near the front of the stage while we could and continue looking for eggs after the shows. Turned out to be a good plan because it quickly got very very busy and it seemed to be standing room only in the square! 

It wasn't long before Andy came on stage much to the audience's delight - there were certainly a lot of little excited faces and I'm pretty sure most of the parents knew just as many lyrics as their kids! Elliot was right down the front and it was hilarious watching him dancing and roaring away. 

At one point Andy started talking about the next rap and how it was about a species who were ancestors of early man. Elliot turned round to look at me with a massive grin on his face and he knew exactly what the rap was! He shouted out "Australopithecus!!!" at the top of his voice, hilarious! 

With lots of audience participation, and even some dad dancing, the show was a big hit with the crowd and I guarantee most people left with the Gigantoraptor song stuck in their heads!!  

Luckily for the people of Dorchester, Andy was performing twice so we had a bit of time between the two shows to finish off our easter egg trail and grab some lunch. Brewery Square has lots of places to eat including Nandos and Zizzis but it was absolutely packed so we headed up to the high street for some food, and also a chance to warm up. 

Andy's second show seemed even busier than the first and there were definitely more people squeezing in near us at the front. Elliot enjoyed himself immensely again! (And yes, he shouted out Australopethecus....and mumosaurus....and Gigantoraptor....sorry Andy!)

After the show had finished we were lucky enough to be on the meet and greet list (thank you to Charlotte at Brewery Square for arranging this) so we headed across to the Premier Inn to meet our friends and get in line. Elliot had his costume back on, his gizmo was ready and he was clutching an envelope of drawings for Andy! It was a fab meet and greet, we didn't feel rushed at all and the boys spent lots of time chatting to Andy about their pictures. It's funny looking back at the very first time we met Andy in 2014, Elliot was so shy and quiet and literally went mute. And in the photos he looks terrified! It's the complete opposite now, we can't shut him up ;) 

Soon our time was up and we said our goodbyes, Elliot and Luke were buzzing! We rounded off the day with a quick trip to see Dippy again - thought we'd make the most of it while he's still here in Dorset. It was much quieter than our last visit too so we were able to head straight to the special selfie panel to take some photos. 

We had a fantastic day out - thank you Andy and Brewery Square! 

                                                                        

Andy & The Odd Socks Launch Show - London October 2017

If you have children of a certain age you'll no doubt be familiar with Andy Day from CBeebies. You've probably seen him having dinosaur adventures, or presenting from the CBeebies House. But did you know he can sing?!

Andy and his band, the Odd Socks are due to release their debut album next month and this week they played a series of gigs in London and Nottingham to kick off their album launch. The tickets were like gold dust but we managed to snap some up the minute they went on sale...phew!

The album "Who Invited This Lot?" is actually a rerelease, we picked up a copy back in 2015 and it has been in our car on repeat ever since. However, Andy has since been joined by his amazingly talented Odd Socks band and the track listing has had a bit of a tweak. There's Moxy on drums, Rio on guitar, Blu on bass and the especially bonkers Random Keith on keys. This time round they mean business!

Showtime

We left Dorset nice and early, picking up my Mum along the way and after a couple of wee breaks, several snacks, a magazine bribery and of course, some singing to the Odd Socks we arrived in Richmond and couldn't wait for the show. Elliot had been asking me "Is it time to see Andy yet?" from around 630am so you could say he was getting excited!

We actually spotted Andy whilst we were having our lunch and Elliot yelled "HELLO ANDY!!!!!!" across the car park...such a quiet child ;)

Soon it was time to take our seats, and the advantage of arriving nice and early meant we had the best seats in the house. Slap bang in the middle of the front row, we almost felt like we were part of the show!

#1 Fan!

Before the show started, the band came out and were interacting with the crowd - Random Keith was checking for odd socks and fortunately Elliot wasn't wearing a matching pair! The band are all very talented but they are also really great with the children, taking time to chat and answer questions.

Suddenly, the lights dimmed and it was time.....Andy bounced onto stage with his infectious grin and the band launched into Aliens, one of the catchiest songs you will ever hear! (I guarantee once you have heard it you will be singing "Look out! Look out! There's aliens about!" forever more!)

Running through songs such as Unique, Battle Robot Rapper, Groovy Hoover, Ninja Pig and Elliot's fave, the Dinosaur Football Legend Mega Match , every song was a hit with the audience. Just like at Camp Bestival, the Dinosaur song came with big footballs that were bouncing around the crowd but this time round, there was even a dinosaur! I'm not sure it was intentional but Random Keith who was in the costume, fell over and popped his head up from the dinosaur's middle...it looked a bit like the dino was giving birth to Keith, very funny!

We were even treated to a rendition of Ghostbusters, one of the new songs to be on the album and just in time for Halloween. The band came out in the their Ghostbuster costumes and the kids loved it, I certainly loved having a singalong!

Before we knew it, the show was over but not before a quick encore of Aliens..complete with little green men!

After the show, we queued up to meet Andy and the band and Elliot said he wanted to get a selfie. I wasn't sure how successful that was going to be so I loitered behind with my camera!!

Elliot was pleased when Andy said "This is Elliot, he's been to all our shows!" and it made his day when the band said they'd seen him on YouTube. They were all so sweet to him and he has been talking about ever since! Elliot did indeed attempt a selfie but his arms weren't quite long enough so Random Keith had to step in and help and we got a brilliant photo. Erin even got in it too although my mum handed her to Andy and he wondered whose baby she was!!

Sorry Blu, Erin has blocked your face! 

Andy and The Odd Socks say they are the greatest children's band ever (according to their mums!) and we would definitely agree. We had a brilliant time at the show and can't wait for the next one!

You can pre-order the album here or find out more at http://andyandtheoddsocks.co.uk/