Grand Opera House York – until Saturday 10th June. Reviewed by Michelle Richardson
The timeless classic has made its way off the page and onto the stage at York’s Grand Opera House.
Created by Jonathan Rockefeller, the critically acclaimed production to The Very Hungry Caterpillar Show features an impressive 75 amazing puppets, adapting four of Eric Carle’s stories, The Artist Who Painted a Blue Horse, Mister Seahorse, The Very Lonely Firefly and of course the Very Hungry Caterpillar.
I was asked if I would like to go along and review this show and take my grandson, yes I’m old enough to be a granny! My first thought was he was too young to take to the theatre. I’m glad to say that I was persuaded otherwise and I was proved wrong. It was actually my grandson’s first birthday when we went to see the show, and he wasn’t too young at all.
The performance is a riot of colour, which showcases 75 hand-crafted puppets, which fly, wiggle and jump through the different stories on the stage. We get to see paintings coming to life and we meet the red crocodile, the purple lion, the black polar bear, the multi coloured donkey, even though we guessed it was a zebra, amongst others, and that is just the first part of the story. Next, we are introduced to the very majestic, sparkly seahorses and various fish, swimming in the sea through the reeds. They all seem to speak with different accents, certainly made me chuckle. The next story is all about the very lonely firefly seeking other fire flies. There are so many false alarms before he is reunited with his friends.
The final piece is what everyone had been waiting for, the well loved title story of The Very Hungry Caterpillar. With the caterpillars arrival we see him eating more and more, until one day he is stuffed, goes into a catalyst and then turns into a most glorious butterfly.
The puppetry for the whole show was wonderful and amazing to see and had all the children captivated, including my grandson, well the majority of the time, who had no idea about any of the stories. It was just a shame that there were so many empty seat and not more children with their parents at the theatre to enjoy the show. At just under 60 minutes the show is great and a must for all youngsters.
Showing in York until Saturday 10th June.