The Alhambra Theatre, Bradford – until Saturday 27 October 2018
Reviewed by Sally Richmond
5*****
MADAGASCAR THE MUSICAL is a fun-packed, all-singing, all dancing extravaganza – perfect for the whole family and must see show for half-term!
Selladoor Family and Hartshorn – Hook Productions, in association with Stephen MCGill Productions, Libby Brodie Productions and Rigmarole Productions / Rachel Kraftman Productions and directed by Kirk Jameson have brought MADAGASCAR THE MUSICAL to Bradford’s very own spectacular Alhambra theatre, which is perfect for a King (King Alex of New York City) to perform in. Matt Terry, star of the popular show X Factor, plays the main character Alex – who’s an arrogant yet lovable and loyal soul all rolled into one. Terry is consistently pitch-perfect throughout and heads the lead role with smooth confidence.
The opening number gets the party started, show-casing a lively cast who have cool dancing moves (choreographed by Fabian Aloise) and superb voices to match. Puppeteers cleverly switch roles from animals to zoo staff whilst moving stage equipment with an easy transition that can be barely noticed. The set is simple but effective and due to the larger than life characters complex, staging would be wasted anyway.
The plot starts to unfold when Marty (Antoine Murray-Straughton) the zebra, Alex’s adorable side kick, decides he wants to see what else is out there other than his current home, the Central Park Zoo. After a birthday wish that comes true, Marty’s wish materialises and he finds himself, along with Alex and some other crazy friends, on a train heading to who knows where!
In the second half of the show the plot thickens as the music tempo gets even more up-beat and the zoo animals find themselves facing more mayhem and mishaps as they enter Madagascar. Here, in paradise, we meet some wild but fluffy lemurs (the cutest ever child-sized Beanie babies) and another king – King Julien, played by the hilarious Jo Parson’s. Julien gets his floss moves on as the Madagascans welcome their new visitors.
The crux of the story starts to develop and deepen when Alex’s animal instincts start to kick in and he dreams of steak whilst performing a jazzy number, executed with a mix of style and humour. The gang starts to pick up on the change in Alex when on more than one occasion he is caught trying to bite his best friend Marty’s butt! Alex has to go! Friendship is tested but does manage to withstand nature’s laws and the fun-loving crew are reunited and decide to return back to the zoo in Central Park.
Based on the book by Kevin Del Aguila and original music and lyrics by George Noriega and Joel Someillan, MADAGASCAR THE MUSICAL seems to naturally translate on the stage just as well as it does on film, in fact the stage version makes
it easier for the audience to fall in love with characters due to the heart-warming performance given by all the actors. Timmika Ramsay, who plays Gloria the hippo, has show stealing moments with her humorous, physical comedy which is coupled with an amazing voice. MADAGASCAR THE MUSICAL is a jukebox of high-energy pop numbers and the penultimate number has it all – with twerking, flossing and dabbing – which delighted the younger members of the audience, who eagerly joined in.
The popular ‘I like to move it, move it’ song was the closing medley of madness and everyone got to their feet to join in the rumpus. If you want your spirits lifting and to see a show that is suitable for all the family, then MADAGASCAR THE MUSICAL will the bill.