'Egg' - The Polka Theatre! - RocknRollerBaby

We love visiting the Polka Theatre in Wimbledon! We went to review their production of ‘Too Many Penguins’ before Christmas and we’ve been looking forward to going back ever since! (For the train in the coffee shop where you can sit and have lunch and the wonderful play equipment as much as a new show!)

They have some really exciting things coming up like ‘Charlie and Lola’ and also some very interesting projects for babies under 1 which we want to squeeee about; but today we will limit our post to the fabulous time we’ve had at their latest production of ‘Egg‘!

This new show sees madcap birds on an adventure of a lifetime as they grapple with growing up and giving in to their natural instincts to take flight. And then of course they meet an egg! The story is said to unfold on a tiny, rustic set, exquisitely constructed out of twigs, feathers and shell. Guaranteed to entertain with magic, live music, plenty of action and an egg! The show which started it’s run on 3rd April is suitable for children aged 4-7. My two are obviously both under the recommended age limit but as with most of their shows they have ‘watch with baby’ performances which means no one needs to miss out! This is especially good if you have an older one but no one to leave the baby with – at 40 minutes long this show is entirely capable for a baby!

We had a super time today and the show was, as expected, perfect! The three performers managed to portray their birds every emotion using only their bodies, very small amounts of whistling and some rather fabulous yet minimalistic props. We were actually blown away and listening to Florence;s ‘oohing and ahhing’ I know she got exactly what was going on. As the first two birds departed the nest she looked at me and said ‘Mummy’ the bird’s best friends have flown away and left him, it’s SO sad’. It brought a tear to my eye watching her be moved by the predicament.

As the journey went on and the bird discovered an egg Florence became much more relaxed and said ‘It’s ok, he’s found a new best friend, look the egg is his best friend Mummy’. She was really very sweet in her analogy and then when the wicked bird came to try and steal the egg I could feel her and all the other little ones holding their breath hoping for the best! I wondered how she would react when the last bird himself took flight but she was thrilled, just as she was with the show!

Jimmy danced his way through to the music while sitting on my lap and there was very definitely enough to keep his attentions too! Highlights for the three of us together were the music on the radio as the birds got dressed each morning. For Jimmy it simply had to be the sounds and music all the way through. Florence really understood the story without there being any narrative at all which is a definite highlight and for me, alone, I enjoyed the costumes and props which were, as I mentioned, minimalistic but very, very clever! The set itself, a nest upon the stage, is enchanting and we loved the wiggly worm who pops up now and then!

Some great acting and performance to a super show which We enjoyed very much. We’ve not sat in the big theatre before but we especially liked the fact the seats didn’t have arms and we could all cuddle up while watching! Polka, how do you do it?

‘Egg’! Looks EGGciting!

Once we had seen the show, which we nearly missed the beginning of due to the ever faithful London transport system but were helped very eagerly by a member of staff who picked our tickets up for us, we had a little explore of the play ground, very many items of interest in the building and of course… had our lunch on the train! Another lovely trip which was finished off by the lovely things to do apart from seeing a show! It’s worth noting that Polka invite you to pop in to enjoy their play areas and have a coffee any time, whether you want or have tickets for a show or not!

Playing indoors we found new things that we didn’t know were there like the teddy bear’s house upstairs!

Outside was just beautiful and Jimmy had his first ever walk outside! Time for shoes I think, he loved it and playing on the equipment with his big sister! Florence loved the Charlie and Lola stuff outside and when I told her we’d be back soon to see their new show at Polka she was thrilled!