Review - Madagascar The Musical at the Regent Theatre on until Sunday 19 May 2024

Photo by Phil Tragen

This is an excellent family friendly show,which was just long enough to hold the attention of the many little ones who had been taken to see it.

Due to this the narration was fast paced but easy to follow.

The young audience quickly identified with all the animal characters,their favourites being the zebra, lion, hippo,giraffe and adorable penguins.

Puppeteers handling the characters took great care not to be noticeable,allowing the puppets to take centre stage.

The storyline strongly portrayed the importance of friendship and loyalty towards differing groups,in this case the different species in Central Park Zoo.

They showed how such a bond enabled all the friends to help and support each other.

Marty, the zebra ,longed for freedom although both he and his friends were born in the zoo. Quite why therefore ,he felt the need to be free was not quite clear.

However,both he and his loyal friends turned up in Madagascar,meeting up with the lemur King Julien and his presumed subjects.

The plot was a bit thin at times,but as far as the many children enjoying the show,it did not matter to them anyway!

Good set simply done but most effective. Maybe the karaoke style of the sound made the acoustics sound a little harsh at times, but this did not appear to detract from the overall pleasure of enjoying this otherwise excellent show.