Lyric Theatre – until 5 January 2020
Reviewed by Donna Easton
5*****
Well, what a Saturday afternoon treat Oi Frog was for my little girl and I.
The much loved books by Kes Grey and Jim Field are a firm favourite in our house so it was wonderful to see the story brought to life in such a compelling and vibrant way.
The action takes place in Sittingbottom School where the rules state that the animals have to sit on something that rhymes with their names but new boy, Frog doesn’t want to sit on an uncomfortable log so decides to change to rules. Frog seems to like being in charge although his rise to power not only goes to his head (I loved the maniacal laughter) but seems to cause more problems than it resolves.
The puppetry and character work are glorious with incredibly accomplished actors who have mastered the physicality of their animals beautifully. Whilst I was admiring the skill, my little girl was transfixed with no mention of the people in control of the animals, just an acceptance of the animal characters on stage. Magical!
In consultation with my 4 year old little girl, some highlights for us were Frog getting a splinter in his bottom, the Cheetah serving fajitas, we loved witnessing the demise of eight of Stunt Cat’s nine lives and adored the bit when the elephant (searching for a mouse) came out into the audience and squirted water into the crowd.
Catchy tunes, total silliness, audience participation and pitch perfect puppetry.
What a joy of an afternoon and the perfect way to introduce young people to the magic of theatre. Thank you Oi Frog team. It was superb!