York Theatre Royal – until 2nd March 2019
Reviewed by Marcus Richardson
4****
My second time watching Madagascar The Musical on stage, my first in Bridlington and now at the York Theatre Royal. I always find it interesting to watch a show at different points in the tour, does it get better or does the commitment die down. I would find it rather stupid to try and explain the plot of the much loved film so I’ll skip straight to the actors.
The cast, with just as much energy as I watched the show a couple of months ago, entertained the kids and adults alike, with fun upbeat songs and hilarious jokes throughout the show you’ll have to try hard not to have a good time. Matt Terry from the X Factor played Alex the Lion, the King of New York; with an impressive voice during the songs in the show and an energy on stage that engages the audience. My stand out performer was Timmika Ramsay, same as last time, playing Gloria the hippo with a soulful voice and a sassy character. Antoine Murray-Straughan played Marty the Zebra with a lot of energy on stage and really brought the bounce to the show. Jamie Lee-Morgan player Melvin the giraffe, with a tall head on a stick it looked hard to control and heavy to hold, I’m surprised at how he held it up and use it in dance scenes. The character that the kids loved was King Julien played by Jo Parsons, with a crazy personality and more milk in the character than in a cow, the audience were howling at his moments on stage. The ensemble did an amazing job of taking on different roles from penguins, old ladies and lemurs, giving vocals that worked well with each other and each stood out on stage. It’s so great to see when the actors don’t loose the oomph throughout the run and give the same energy to every performance, and the energy here is fanatic.
The costumes look as similar to the film as you can make a body suit, it suited the style of the show. The set was simple enough so that the actors could bring props and scenery on stage I really like when a show does this at it means scene changes are fast and we get lost in the magic of theatre more.
The kids loved this show and the audience at York Theatre Royal was much more reactive than at Bridlington Spa, the show is rather short with two forty minute acts, so you won’t have children getting bored. This is a show for all ages and families, any fans of the film will have to watch the live show as it’s just as funny.