Taking a three year old and 18 month old to a theatre for a 90 minute show may sound like a nightmare to some parents but if you have read my previous blogs on Eddie and Archie’s experiences at Theatre Severn in Shrewsbury then you’ll know what they do.
They don’t talk, don’t move and simply nod when we check they are okay and having fun! They simply become star struck and today seeing Andy from CBeebies Andy’s Wild Adventures live on stage proved no different. Andy was performing with Mike as part of their UK tour with their show Andy and Mike’s Tick Tock Time Machine.
The children were taken on a time machine journey back to 1828 and forward to 2212 where they enjoyed lots of singing, dancing, dressing up and of course clapping and water pistols along the way. Whilst for the adults in the audience there was some more mature one-liners thrown in for our entertainment too.
The show involved some audience participation with one mummy forced to dance on stage, whilst one daddy donned a pink tutu and blonde wig as part of the show – much to his daughter’s delight! Both John and I gave a sigh of relief when Andy and Mike scanned the audience and avoided choosing us!
I know we will now be forced to watch Andy every time he appears on CBeebies and Eddie will recall the whole show minute by minute. The theatre experience for children is excellent and teaches them not only to sit and concentrate for more than 10 minutes but also to join in with others, get used to noise and darkness (during some scenes) and to follow a story.
With the boards up advertising the Milkshake tour coming to Theatre Severn soon I know we’ll be booking our seats for that one. But of course next on our family theatre programme is the annual panto Jack and the Beanstalk which based on last year’s Aladdin will be excellent.
The theatre is a fantastic family day out and is highly recommended. For those who fear their children won’t sit still then please don’t worry it’s a family show at a family theatre where staff and customers alike understand “kids will be kids” (and that doesn’t always mean they will become star struck and glued to their seats in silence like my two!)
For full programme information visit www.theatresevern.co.uk