Review: There’s a Monster in Your Christmas Show, The Berry Theatre, Hedge End

There’s a monster on stage in Hedge End and the mischievous little creature isn’t keen to give up the spotlight.

Having escaped from the pages of the well-loved book series, he and his magical friends bring an hour of fun and chaos to the delight on their young audience.

And with the festive season upon us, those heading to The Berry Theatre get to enjoy the debut stage show with a special Christmas twist.

There’s A Monster In Your Christmas Show is an entertaining and interactive experience aimed at little ones aged three and above.

It is adapted from the Who’s in Your Book? series written by McFly’s Tom Fletcher, who, with three young boys himself, was determined to make sure kids felt as if they were part of the show, rather than just turning up to watch.

And he has certainly achieved that aim, with the audience encouraged throughout to sing and dance along to the catchy and memorable tunes that were easy to pick up as it went along.

The interaction started before the show even kicked off, with the Storytellers heading into the audience to say hello and having a few laughs with the youngsters.

This really helped our four-year-old son warm to them and by the time the show started, many of the children were excited to get involved with the routines from their seats.

There was no worrying about trying to keep them quiet or sitting still, the focus was on getting everyone involved in the fun, which made for a relaxing and enjoyable experience.

It starts with the Storytellers getting ready to start their show, but they soon realise that they are not alone on stage.

Although not a pantomime, there’s a nod to the festive tradition, with the children asked to help them find who is causing the mischief on set.

With the Little Monster reluctant to be put back in his book, he summons his friends, Dragon, Alien, Unicorn and, because this show has a festive twist, Elf, to help entertain the audience.

There are songs performed throughout the show, all with actions for everyone to join in with, keeping our son engaged throughout.

Tom wrote four of the songs featured and, because this was a Christmas show, they threw in a rendition of Jingle Bells too.

My son had not read any of these books before the show but it certainly didn’t hamper his enjoyment of it.

His eyes lit up every time a new character came to life, thanks to the Storyteller’s expert puppetry throughout and he’s now keen to make sure he reads them all.