My 4 year old son Edward is a big fan of the theatre. From being a baby he has always sat mesmerised through entire shows, even the 2 hour Christmas pantos.
So I felt pretty confident that ‘Peppa Pig’ at Leeds Playhouse would be right up his street, especially as he thoroughly enjoyed ‘In The Night Garden’ there last year. His 2 year old sister, Florence, is a different matter though. She’s extremely bright but doesn’t have the same patience levels as Edward, and is a pure adventurer at heart. Not a great combination for sitting through a play, but I thought I’d risk taking both on my own as Florence at least loves the ‘Peppa Pig’ books, even if she doesn’t have the concentration to sit through the TV show.
Although not based directly on any one book, the show reflects on some key events that the children (and adults) will recognise: Mr Bull digging up a road, a visit to a castle, Miss Rabbit doing every job going. We are, however, introduced to a new character, Daisy, who is invited along on Peppa’s big day out and who serves as an effective tour guide and dance demonstrator for the audience.
As usual, the sheer energy the cast has during children’s shows like this is amazing. Although only an hour long, they really do throw themselves into it, exaggerating their acting to appeal to smaller children. The whole ensemble worked well together and the movements were competently choreographed and slick. Lizzy Burder, who plays Daisy, was impressive at carrying the show: a strong singer, a good dancer and with a voice that didn’t annoy the adults. Daddy Pig, Mummy Pig, Miss Rabbit and Mr Bull are all played by actors in costumes, which was excessively impressive considering the horrendously hot conditions in the theatre. I dread to think what it was like in those suits, under those lights!
The children are all created using hip height puppets that rest on the floor, which are controlled by a visible cast member wearing all black. Although the children were no doubt so engrossed with the characters they hardly noticed the actors controlling them, the facial expressions of the cast were still engaging, showing their full commitment to the role. Most of the voices do sound different from how you hear them on the show, which might confuse young children. However, Alice de Warrenne’s outstanding ability to make her voice sound remarkably like Peppa on the TV show was uncanny, even when she was singing, more than made up for the other cast. Charlie Culkin was also impressive as the voice of Mummy Pig. Although, not a major thing, having a recognisable voice just made the play more nostalgic and I’m sure it would have helped some of the children tell who was speaking.
I really appreciated that the show had been adapted for stage by adding in lots of songs and dance actions. Occasionally, some of the scenes did drag on as there were just so many of them, especially where they meet Mr Bull near the start and they seem to be stuck in a traffic jam for about 4 songs. I know the older children, around 5 or 6, particularly enjoyed these songs because they could read the few lyrics they brought out, remember the melodies and dance along with the taught actions. However, most of the children were younger than this, and found trying to do all these things a bit confusing and it ended up that it was basically a theatre full of adults dancing along with the songs, trying to entice younger children to join in.
I did have two big issues with this show though, both of which were out of the company’s control. First of all, the theatre was just way too hot. Yes it was fairly hot outside, but completely normal for this time of year. It was so uncomfortable that my two year old was just beside herself and all three of us were excessively uncomfy. The other issue was that, although the show was only 60 mins in length, they had an interval after 35 minutes! This for me, with two young children on my own, was a disaster. With a whole 20 mins to spare, I didn’t want to stay in a hot theatre. However, my 4 year old spent a long time refusing to leave because he thought we might miss the next act. When we did make it out and then back in, the attention of my 2 year old, which had been brilliant in the first act, was completely gone. Not only was she now extremely hot and bothered, she had also lost her focus completely. I can only offer a humble and embarrassed apology to the audience members who were sitting near us. I was in a dilemma of either trying to calm her down in some magical way or making an entire row stand up so we could struggle past in the dark, screaming toddler in tow. I managed to calm her down, luckily, but it was the most stressful half hour I’ve ever spent in a theatre: and I’ve seen a few Theatre of Cruelty plays! The interval was an extremely poor decision by the theatre and pretty much ruined the rest of the show for me. I get why they did it: to make money selling refreshments. But for those with small children it was just unnecessary and ruined the illusion of the show.
In my view, ‘Peppa Pig’ is definitely designed for an older audience compared with shows such as ‘In The Night Garden’. The latter had the magic of all the different characters being brought out and cheered scene by scene, meaning toddlers could enjoy the fast change of roles without the need of a story. The former missed some of this magic and some of this pace.
I definitely enjoyed ‘Peppa Pig’ more as there was more of a story and the performance as a whole was much more polished. However, when I asked my son his thoughts on the play he said it ‘had too many songs which made it a bit boring’. Normally, he loves the songs, but because they were just a bit too complicated for him to follow properly and went on a few verses too long, he just switched off a bit. They were also quite similar, too, which didn’t help the variety aspect. Saying that, he was still engrossed throughout and so clearly still enjoyed the experience despite his words. The dragon at the end definitely saved it for him! He begged me as we were leaving to take him to see ‘Stick Man’ in the Winter. This is also one of my favourite children’s books so I’ll be definitely booking him a ticket. I may think twice about taking Florence again though, especially since at £17 a ticket, I want to be as sure as possible that she’ll enjoy it. She’s already booked in to see two panto’s this Christmas and I’m now rather regretting it to be honest. As much as I think all children should have exposure to theatre, I just don’t think she’s quite ready for it, and it wouldn’t be fair to her or the surrounding audience. It’s a tough call to make, especially as a campaigner for the arts, so I shall mull it over and let you know the outcome in the Winter….
Photographs provided by Leeds Playhouse.
