By Joy McKay.
Madagascar The Musical premiered in 2018 and is based on the 2005 DreamWorks animated film which follows a group of exotic animals, friends, who are escapees from New York City zoo.
The show was due to star CBBC presenter and Strictly Come Dancing runner up Karim Zeroual who has previously performed in West End musicals including The Lion King. Unfortunately injured, he was replaced for this performance, by a local Southampton actor Connor Keetley, a switch from his regular roles puppeteering in the show.
The early curtain was an obvious indicator that this was a show aimed at children but I’d recently been to see Shrek The Musical, also based on a DreamWorks animation, and was surprisingly impressed at how the show maintained the high standards I’d expect from a touring Broadway and West End production. Also being based on a fantastical film it seemed fair to make the comparison. And so it was with interest and a positive attitude I donned my obligatory lion ears, and took my seat amongst the many families in attendance.
As a child a highlight of the theatre for me was seeing and hearing the live orchestra, honestly it still is, and so I was slightly disappointed as the piped music started but was quickly engaged by the monkey and penguin puppetry. The four main characters of the first half are Alex the Lion, Gloria the Hippo, Melman the Giraffe and Marty the Zebra. These roles are all performed by humans in costumes which were not as well designed as the puppets, consisting of slightly saggy bodysuits with lumpy padding. I understand making actors look like animals can be challenging but musical theatre has such great examples from Cats to The Lion King, it’s been shown it can be done. The first half was over surprisingly quickly after just 40 minutes. But for the children this was probably long enough to have to sit still.
Soon after the second half starts we meet the lemur inhabitants of Madagascar, including King Julien. This is by far the most challenging role of the show and so a big change for replacement Keetley but he instantly took control of the stage. His performance outshone his co-stars but after another brief 40 minutes the curtains closed.
Some productions, which are more aimed at children, retain their appeal for the rest of the family but for me, this one did not. It does not have the Broadway or West End pedigree of most touring musicals which stop at The Mayflower and I feel that shows.
If you are looking for something to entertain the kids during the holiday then this will do the job. The 7 o’clock start and short running time mean that it won’t be a terribly late bedtime even for young ones and they will enjoy the puppets. If you’re looking for a family orientated musical experience with a live orchestra which the adults will enjoy too, I’d opt for Aladdin which is coming to The Mayflower next month.
- Runs until August 24. Image by Phil Tragen.
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