Madagascar The Musical

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Welcome to the jungle!! The hit Musical Madagascar has arrived at the Regent Theatre this week, and I have to say I was excited about this one!

Produced by DreamWorks, who also produced Shrek and Ice Age, Madagascar The Musical follows the journey of Alex the Lion, Marty the Zebra, Gloria the Hippo & Melman the hypochondriac Giraffe as they are thrust from the Central Park Zoo in New York and marooned in Madagascar, meeting the native animals there, both friendly and fierce.

It soon becomes clear that life in the wild is very different to zoo life, and Alex begins an inner struggle with his wild side when he realises that his thirst for meat can’t be satisfied by a freshly prepared steak presented on a platter as it was at the zoo.

Along the way, we get to party and “move it” with King Julian and his subjects which is a real highlight. And we get to “smile and wave” with Skipper and his band of suave penguins who give us a laugh a minute as they try to return to their home in the Antarctic!

I decided that I was going to bring along an elite panel of experts to help me review Madagascar. A group of young gentleman who have studied the movie in meticulous detail and could pull it apart with ease to pick out the best bits. I could think of nobody better than my sons Lewis (aged 12), Callum (aged 8) and Harrison (Aged 6). They love the box office hit, so I knew I’d get honest feedback with no punches pulled. Here’s what they had to say..... 

“It was pretty decent. I think it was one of the best shows I’ve seen in a while. My favourite part was when the penguins were singing! My favourite character was King Julian, because the dude was just the funniest character in the whole show! I’d recommend that they bring it back again as it’s a good show!” - Lewis Maddox, Age 12

“It was amazing! My favourite part was when the giraffe comes on, because I love the design of Melman and how they do the acting and stuff. Melman was my favourite character, because he has the same voice and they tried to disguise the stick as bamboo, and I love how they get his neck and mouth to move. I want to go again when I grow up. The character design is really good and the plot is amazing! They’re really good at acting! I would like it even more if when Alex the Lion thinks everyone is a steak, that they all wear steak costumes! I’d tell anyone who hasn’t seen it to try and get tickets and just enjoy it!” - Callum Maddox, Age 8.

“It was amazing! I loved how they acted and how they controlled the animals! The penguins moved their arms and they moved their body’s and mouths! My favourite part was when the lion danced around with steaks, and I loved it when the steaks sang! I don’t know how they did it! My favourite character was King Julian because he sang “I like to move it move it!” And it was funny when he poked Marty the Zebra  with the stick! I will tell all of my friends that I’ve seen the Madagascar show and it was amazing!” - Harrison Maddox, Age 6.

They absolutely adored it and have all asked when we can go again! The look of amazement on their faces when each of the characters appeared on stage, and the excitement in their voices said it all. In fact, the same went for every child in attendance.

Joseph Hewlett is fantastic as Alex. He didn’t drop a note and had great presence and charm. Francisco Gomes played Alex’s best friend Marty, and while his voice was great, he had a rather large set of boots to fill following on from the charismatic Chris Rock. I personally don’t feel that Marty had the same appeal that he had in the movie, but Gomes pulled off a great performance nonetheless. Jarneia Richard-Noel pulled a blinder as Gloria, with an amazing voice and equally amazing moves! As for Melman, I much preferred Joshua Oakes-Roger’s portrayal on stage in comparison to David Schwimmer’s from the movie. His voice realty suited the part, and with the added  challenge of operating the puppetry, it was nothing less than brilliant.

The puppetry in general was incredible, and the way they brought the characters to life is reminiscent of the way that they bring the characters to life in the musical version of the Lion King. It gets to the point where you don’t notice the person operating the puppet and providing the voice, which is simply remarkable. Hats off to Max Humphries for some detailed and intricate design work!

In the second act, CBBC & Strictly Come Dancing’s Karim Zeroual steals the show as King Julian the fun loving lemur. It’s a more eccentric version of the character from the movie, but this provides the appeal. It’s a laugh a minute from the moment he first appears, and you can’t help but party along with his rendition of “I like to move it, move it”. The auditorium quite literally bounced as he and the rest of the cast tore up the stage. It’s definitely one of my favourite parts of a musical to date.

Don’t think for a second that this is a production exclusively reserved for children! It’s suitable for the whole family with upbeat tunes, excellent design work from Tom Rogers and some subtle tongue in cheek wise cracks guaranteed to induce a giggle from any adult in the audience. It doesn’t have the most memorable musical numbers compared to some of the competition out there, and the plot feels a little threadbare and sometimes a little rushed. But trust me, it’s definitely worth a watch and you’re guaranteed to leave with some very happy children and a huge smile on your face after a joke filled night full of fantastic puppetry, dazzling design and heart warming fun! It’s the perfect show to introduce children to musical theatre!

I handed the verdict over to my sons for this one, and in their capacity as experts in this field, they decided that it deserved a full clean sweep!

Verdict: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 

See below for a teaser of what to expect.

Madagascar The Musical will be showing at The Regent Theatre in Hanley until Sunday 19th May. Recommended age of 3+. Tickets can be purchased online at www.atgtickets.com or by calling the Regent Theatre Box Office on 08448 717649.