The Very Hungry Caterpillar And Other Stories
An all time classic children’s story was brought to life on stage at the playhouse yesterday afternoon; this critically acclaimed adaptation of stories by Eric Carle caused hysteria amongst the tiny people (and mummies and daddies) of Norwich before it jets off to London’s West End next month.
We were treated to not only the much loved tale of the Caterpillar who ate too much but also three of Carle's other gorgeous tales were told in the first half of the performance. Kicking things off was The Artist Who Painted A Blue Horse, and this section boasted the majority of the exceptionally intricate, bold and colourful puppets. A bouncing, pink bunny rabbit, a gorgeous green lion, the sly purple fox and an adorable yellow cow to name but a mere few of the whopping 75 puppets that appeared during the performance.
Next up was the magical underwater tale of Mister Sea Horse, whereby the glittering rainbow seahorse puppet floated through the ocean meeting all kinds of elaborate, fascinating creatures on their collective journey through parenthood and life under the sea. The Very Lonely Firefly pulled on our heartstrings as he flitted here, there and everywhere trying to find his friends amidst dazzling car headlights, startling torches, flickering candles and show stopping fireworks.
When our friend The Very Hungry Caterpillar finally popped out of his little egg the under 5’s fully lost the plot (as in the caterpillar was the toddler equivalent to The Beatles) cheering, screaming and shouting along to the words “but he was STILL hungry!” Simply adorable! I don’t want to spoil the ending but let’s just say the chubby caterpillar’s metamorphosis does not disappoint.
The puppeteers were some of the best I have ever seen - their precision, attention to detail and unfaltering energy made it so engaging for the little ones as well as a feast for the eyes for the adults. The soundtrack provided the perfect accompaniment and the puppets and actors frolicked along in perfect harmony.
Tomorrow is the last day of the Norwich stint of the tour so I suggest if you are at a loss as to what to do with your kiddies on the first Monday of half term this show is a sure fire way of keeping them occupied…for an hour at least!
10/10
