Review – Madagascar at the Cliffs Pavilion

THIS brand new adaptation of the hit animated movie of the same name is an all-singing and dancing delight which is a perfect way to introduce youngsters to the theatre.

You might not know many of the songs, but at the heart of it is the catchy and upbeat “I Like to Move it” sung by the King of Lemurs and reprised again at the finale.

And the rest of the tunes are almost instantly catchy and always amusing with a great deal of warmth at their heart.

Essentially this is a story about friendship and where you belong – following the adventures of a quartet of zoo animals unwittingly sent out into the wild.

Matt Terry, winner of X-Factor in 2016, is the most recognisable name here, appearing as King of the Central Park Zoo and its main attraction, Alex the Lion.

Being able to belt out a tune doesn’t always mean you can hold your own in a major production but Matt Terry more and proves his worth here, really giving Alex a personality and acting as well as singing.

He is ably supported by Timmika Ramsay as the sassy hippo Gloria, Jamie Lee-Morgan as Melman the Giraffe and Antoine Murray-Straughan as Zebra Marty.

And to be fair, if you hadn’t told me it was Matt I probably would only have questioned it as he repeatedly hit unfeasibly high notes and nailed every song he was in.

Add to this the fact Jamie Lee-Morgan is among a host of talented actors and actresses who also perform puppeteering duties for their characters with the penguins and the Lemurs being particular stand-outs while Jo Parsons more or less steals the show in the second half as King Julien.

There are elements of the Lion King, in this merging of puppets and actors which are not unflattering in the comparison.

It might be a show which has taken its lead from a children’s film but there is plenty here for people of ages who will also appreciate the clever staging and incredible puppets and costumes.

Madagascar is at the Cliffs Pavilion until Saturday. Contact the Box Office for tickets on 01702 351135.

Review – Madagascar at the Cliffs Pavilion

THIS brand new adaptation of the hit animated movie of the same name is an all-singing and dancing delight which is a perfect way to introduce youngsters to the theatre.

You might not know many of the songs, but at the heart of it is the catchy and upbeat “I Like to Move it” sung by the King of Lemurs and reprised again at the finale.

And the rest of the tunes are almost instantly catchy and always amusing with a great deal of warmth at their heart.

Essentially this is a story about friendship and where you belong – following the adventures of a quartet of zoo animals unwittingly sent out into the wild.

Matt Terry, winner of X-Factor in 2016, is the most recognisable name here, appearing as King of the Central Park Zoo and its main attraction, Alex the Lion.

Being able to belt out a tune doesn’t always mean you can hold your own in a major production but Matt Terry more and proves his worth here, really giving Alex a personality and acting as well as singing.

He is ably supported by Timmika Ramsay as the sassy hippo Gloria, Jamie Lee-Morgan as Melman the Giraffe and Antoine Murray-Straughan as Zebra Marty.

And to be fair, if you hadn’t told me it was Matt I probably would only have questioned it as he repeatedly hit unfeasibly high notes and nailed every song he was in.

Add to this the fact Jamie Lee-Morgan is among a host of talented actors and actresses who also perform puppeteering duties for their characters with the penguins and the Lemurs being particular stand-outs while Jo Parsons more or less steals the show in the second half as King Julien.

There are elements of the Lion King, in this merging of puppets and actors which are not unflattering in the comparison.

It might be a show which has taken its lead from a children’s film but there is plenty here for people of ages who will also appreciate the clever staging and incredible puppets and costumes.

Madagascar is at the Cliffs Pavilion until Saturday. Contact the Box Office for tickets on 01702 351135.

Review – Madagascar at the Cliffs Pavilion THIS brand new adaptation of the hit animated movie of the same name is an all-singing and dancing delight which is a perfect way to introduce youngsters to the theatre.

You might not know many of the songs, but at the heart of it is the catchy and upbeat “I Like to Move it” sung by the King of Lemurs and reprised again at the finale.

And the rest of the tunes are almost instantly catchy and always amusing with a great deal of warmth at their heart.

Essentially this is a story about friendship and where you belong – following the adventures of a quartet of zoo animals unwittingly sent out into the wild.

Matt Terry, winner of X-Factor in 2016, is the most recognisable name here, appearing as King of the Central Park Zoo and its main attraction, Alex the Lion.

Being able to belt out a tune doesn’t always mean you can hold your own in a major production but Matt Terry more and proves his worth here, really giving Alex a personality and acting as well as singing.

He is ably supported by Timmika Ramsay as the sassy hippo Gloria, Jamie Lee-Morgan as Melman the Giraffe and Antoine Murray-Straughan as Zebra Marty.

And to be fair, if you hadn’t told me it was Matt I probably would only have questioned it as he repeatedly hit unfeasibly high notes and nailed every song he was in.

Add to this the fact Jamie Lee-Morgan is among a host of talented actors and actresses who also perform puppeteering duties for their characters with the penguins and the Lemurs being particular stand-outs while Jo Parsons more or less steals the show in the second half as King Julien.

There are elements of the Lion King, in this merging of puppets and actors which are not unflattering in the comparison.

It might be a show which has taken its lead from a children’s film but there is plenty here for people of ages who will also appreciate the clever staging and incredible puppets and costumes.

Madagascar is at the Cliffs Pavilion until Saturday. Contact the Box Office for tickets on 01702 351135.