Since he was a toddler, my little boy has really enjoyed reading “There’s A Monster In Your Book!” – a fun interactive book for young children, written by Tom Fletcher (he of McFly fame, if he looks familiar!). We were therefore excited to see how this imaginative book would translate from page to stage.
The “Who’s In Your Book” series later grew to include all sorts of other characters including Unicorn, Alien and Dragon, and all of these friends escape their respective books to make an appearance in this lively show (much to the delight of the young audience!).
Whilst those familiar with the books will recognise the basis of the plot (monster/character escapes from the pages of their book; chaos ensues…), you don’t need to have read the books to enjoy the show. The show’s simple storyline brings in a group of performers (the StoryMakers) who are preparing to start their show, but quickly discover that they may have at least one surprise performer making a break for freedom in the hope of joining them. Can Monster be returned to his book before the show begins?
We were pleased to discover that the show is just as interactive as the books, with much encouragement to sing, dance, shout, applaud and generally get involved! The show is rightly billed as high-energy, with plenty of lively original music and well-paced action to retain the attention of the young audience. There’s a good sprinkling of pantomime vibe as well – we found ourselves shouting “he’s behind you!” several times as the players searched the stage for the missing monster!
Visually, it’s very pleasing and true to the vibrant illustrations in the book. The puppets are very faithful recreations of the illustrated characters in the book (we particularly fell in love with Dragon), and the puppetry is well done. The brightly-coloured set echoes the look of the books, and there are some clever visual touches such as the alien’s light-up spacecraft and the smoke emerging from Dragon’s nose when she feels a sneeze coming on!
All in all, my son and I had great fun at this performance and thoroughly enjoyed it. I would say that the show is primarily geared towards preschoolers and I had wondered before our trip if, at 6.5 years old, my son might have been a bit too old for it as he seems to have become very grown up recently! However, he adored the interactive elements of the show and threw himself into the audience participation, and declared at the end of the show that he had enjoyed it.
📍 Venue: York Theatre Royal, St Leonard’s Place, York, YO1 7HD
📅 Dates and times: There are 6 performances of this show in York – 2 per day on each of Tuesday 26th March to Thursday 28th March 2024. The show continues its tour around the country throughout April and May.
🕙 Performance running time: 55 minutes
🎟 Tickets: £16.50 adult/£14 under 16s. Babes in arms free. Booking via the York Theatre Royal website here or at the Box Office.
👍 Age guidance: Everyone! The perfect introduction to live theatre for youngsters. The target age is probably under 5 but my Year 2 age child enjoyed it, as did some older children sitting in front of us. The theatre has booster seats available free of charge for smaller visitors – just pick one up on the way into the auditorium.
💜 Mumbler top tip: A Relaxed Performance of this production is on Thursday 28th March at 1.30pm.
🎭 Production details: “There’s a Monster In Your Show!” is adapted for the stage by Zoe Bourn and directed by Miranda Larson with new music composed by Tom Fletcher and Barry Bignold.
After last year’s incredibly popular production of “The Ugly Duckling”, Northern Ballet returns to York Theatre Royal with another ballet for children.
When a cheeky Hare won’t stop boasting about how fast he can run, thoughtful Tortoise decides it is time to join him in a race. No one thinks Tortoise can win, but when Hare gets distracted by games and treats, Tortoise might just surprise us all.
The perfect introduction to live ballet and music, your little ones will be cheering along as a playful cast of characters re-tell this classic tale.
5 performances over a two-day period (2nd and 3rd April 2024) – book tickets here.
York Mumbler were gifted tickets for the press performance of this production by York Theatre Royal; however, views in this review are the reviewer’s own honest review of the show.
Professional production photos supplied by the York Theatre Royal press office, and used with permission. Unusually for theatre shows, the audience was also expressly permitted to use their cameras during this performance.
Professional photo credits: Pamela Raith Photography for There’s A Monster In Your Show; Brian Slater for The Tortoise and The Hare.
