The Lyceum Theatre, Sheffield – until 12th November 2021
Reviewed by Sophie Dodworth
4****
Anticipation awaits with the young audience while sitting ready for the action to start on stage. The set is bright, youthful and almost smiles at you when walking into the auditorium. It is friendly – a colourful, inviting farmyard, with the sun beaming down over it.
This production follows a story based on the book by Julia Donaldson, illustrated by Lydia Monks. It’s a very sweet tale based around the farm and the ladybird, which they are struggling to find. There are also some ‘baddies’ on stage in the form of Lanky Len (James Mateo-Salt) and Hefty Hugh (Matthew McPherson), they hatch a plan to steal the prize cow. The apparent adding of a theatre usher to the stage is a nice touch and adds some comedy early on to the tale. Raymond (Mateo-Salt) the ‘usher’ is volunteered up and stays on until the very end.
The cast of 4 delivered the story with the energy the show required and were all able to connect with the children in the audience. The farmer (Roddy Lynch) has such a welcoming, fatherly feel to him! They all suited their roles and you really bought in to their characters. McPherson and Nikita Johal (Lily) really stood out; they had that extra sparkle and charisma, not to mention fantastic musical talents in the form of Nikitas voice and McPhersons guitar playing.
Music was played by all the cast in one way or another and was a great ingredient to the mix. It is so inspiring to see cast members so multi-faceted. The songs were catchy and well-written, leaving children singing as they left the theatre (and in the car on the way home!)
A solid 55 minutes of entertainment. It really is a fun packed, mesmerising show for the little people.