Another day and another show! We’re very lucky and get to see a lot of theatre, so much in fact that I’m sure we could quite easily become a little complacent about it if the show is anything less than brilliant. I often walk into the latest children’s production wondering if it can possibly be any different or better than the last things we’ve seen and luckily for us I am very often surprised. I do wonder how we keep managing to come up trumps and see such wonderful things but we do and Ben and Holly Live was absolutely no exception! This time we were at the New Wimbledon Theatre and there to see the start of a national tour which will go into 2013. When we entered into the Little Kingdom we couldn’t possibly have known how drawn we would be or how much enjoyment the next hour and a half would bring us!
We all know the start of the show, ‘Somewhere, hidden amongst the thorny brambles is a little kingdom where everyone is very very small…‘ And we were off! The whole theatre, alight with children waving their Ben and Holly wands, was enchanted from the very beginning and Florence was captivated. Because the television show is from the creative talents that brought us Peppa Pig I had assumed the live show would be of a similar ilk to Peppa’s show but it was actually very different and for this production the actors are wearing masks which finish under their noses so that the bottom half of their faces are on display and they can talk. For me it felt a little more sophisticated than other shows we’ve been to because of this; I’m not saying that its better but because we can see their faces it certainly is different and it definitely gives it an edge which I personally enjoyed. Being able to see their faces meant they had to use them to portray their characters which was very interesting and although not exactly the same as the television show I think it made it a more believable experience. The children definitely didn’t notice that the faces and voices were slightly different! The balletic moves of the fairies, Nanny Plum and Holly, gave it a really beautiful look and made it feel even more magical and Ben Elf was perfect as Holly’s best friend! The story sees Nanny Plum show the friends what she does for her night job as a tooth fairy and they travel with her and meet a little girl called Lucy who wakes up while they are collecting her tooth! They bring Lucy back to the Little Kingdom and then the fun begins!
What I really liked was the fact that they touch on some of the old favourite aspects of the television show as well as concentrating mainly on the theme of the story with Lucy for the live production. We see them clean up Gaston’s cave and naturally there is a magic spell involving too much jelly but none of it interferes with the story at hand and just adds to it! All the best characters make an appearance as well and it was great to see the Wise Old Elf and King Thistle as they always make it entertaining! It’s also all very clever and the team behind the set and staging have really come up trumps with showing magic spells come to fruition and seamless scene changes! I was particularly impressed with how the fairies wings flutter! Other lovely moments are Gaston’s leg movements and the puppets they use for when the characters are in flight! All totally engaging for little ones (and parents) I must say! With plenty of interaction and songs to join in with for the tiny ones this show has got to be seen! I don’t know any little person who doesn’t enjoy Peppa or Ben and Holly, the guys who created them must know exactly what they’re doing! The live show is just lovely and fans will be delighted to see it for a treat! And it’s not just parents who enjoy it – I’ve seen some theatre critics like Pete Gayatinea write what a fun show this is! It’s fun, it’s innocent and it’s a little bit cheeky – just like most toddlers then and they’ll be in their element when they come to see the tour! For more information on the show and to find a theatre the tour will be at near you log on to the website www.benandhollylive.com
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