Theatre Royal, Haymarket – until 28 April 2019
Reviewed by Alexandra Sykes
4****
Where is Peter Rabbit? is a show for people of all ages as the stories written by Beatrix Potter are timeless and will never get old.
Where is Peter Rabbit? brings to life the stories of Mr Jeremy Fisher, Mrs Tiggy-Winkle, Mr Tod, Jemima Puddle-Duck and of course Peter Rabbit. The stories are beautifully narrated by Miriam Margoyles and Griff Rhys Jones whilst the characters themselves are brought to live by Charlotte Harrington, Samuel Knight, Grace Osborn and Matthew Whitby, with Beatrix Potter being played by Joanna Brown.
The puppets are life like and the detailing is impressive, with all the puppets being based on Beatrix Potter illustrations from the original books. The sets are simple but productive and each one represents a scene from a tale, be it Mrs Tiggy-Winkles, with all the washing that she does; the pond, where Mr Jeremy Fisher likes to go fishing or Mr McGregors garden, where Peter always steals vegetables from.
The stories are broken up by Beatrix Potter and Jemima Puddle-Duck looking for Peter, and Potter explaining things about the characters. The changing of scenery/items is done so it looks like it is part of the story, with each little prop appearing as the narrator describes it. A screen at the back of the stage helps to set the scene as well, especially when Jemima Puddle-Duck is flying around both in her own story and when helping look for Peter.
All in all it is a wonderful production which is fun for all the family and at an hour long is just the right length of time to keep small children entertained without them being bored.