We've been to see The Sooty Show

I still vividly remember watching The Sooty Show as a child and have seen all five of my children enjoy the mischief, magic and mayhem of the little bear and his friends over the years.

This weekend, we were lucky enough to review The Sooty Show live tour, straight from CITV, at the Shrewsbury Severn Theatre.  Starring Richard Cadell, Sooty, Sweep and Soo along with appearances from Ramsbottom the snake and Butch the bulldog, the show invites the audience to join in with Sooty's birthday party celebrations.  From baking the cake, picking the music, decorating the house and finding the perfect dress for Soo, there is so much to do, and things are getting messy!

The format of the show is very true to the original style I remember from my childhood.  There is a lot of  mischief, lots of visual comedy, some magic and plenty of times when Sweep got bonked on the head for being a 'sausage brain'.  I liked the fact that they hadn't pandered to political correctness or tried to make it more modern, by giving Sooty and Sweep voices or articulating them beyond hand puppetry.  It was exactly as I remembered it.  The old fashioned simplicity, carried by madcap comedy and a plethora of mishaps for Richard to deal with worked really well. 

The show included some audience participation including an audience rendition of 'Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes' every time the doorbell rang.  It was a very interactive show and if you went along with it, it was very entertaining and a lot of fun.  Freddy loved jumping out of his seat to dance, and was shouting at the characters on stage at every opportunity!  I loved seeing him so happy and engaged with what was happening on stage.

Richard's delivery of the show was frantic, manic and fast paced.  His engagement with the kids in the audience was very good and the whole crowd was cheering, clapping, dancing and laughing throughout.  

Highlights for me were Sweep doing Gangnam Style, which was a stroke of comedy genius and Sooty's big magic trick finale, which left me amazed!  I am still not a fan of Soo (she is just so self-important and bossy) but she did look spectacular in her final party frock! 

The show is definitely a fun filled treat for little ones and a nostalgic pleasure for parents who still remember the magic spell "Izzy Wizzy let's get busy!"

After the show, you can meet Richard and Sooty.  This was well managed and the children were efficiently processed as they were quickly filtered through to the front of the queue, posed ready to be photographed and then moved on ready for the next family.  No time for a chat or a cuddle, but a very streamlined process to get everyone the chance for a snap with Sooty in the quickest time possible without too much waiting around.  My children were happy to get their picture taken, although Freddy cottoned on to the fact that Richard's hand was inside the box and therefore inside Sooty.  The magic and wonder of childhood may have diminished slightly right there!!

The Sooty Show is great theatre for little ones (and Sooty fans of all ages).  It's noisy, fun, in your face and chaotic, bringing the mischief and mayhem of Sooty to life in an entertaining and laugh-out-loud format for all the family to enjoy.

The tour is continuing across the country at these venues:

Sat 18 Oct            Chesterfield Winding Wheel                      

Sun 19 Oct           Lichfield Garrick                               

Sat 25 Oct            Camberley Theatre                        

Sun 26 Oct           Swindon Wyvern                            

Mon 27 Oct         Peterborough Key Theatre                         

Tue 28 Oct           Cromer Pier                       

Wed 29 Oct         Southport Theatre                         

Thu 30 Oct           Redditch Palace                               

Fri 31 Oct             Newtown Hafren                            

Sat 1 Nov             Boston Arts       

Sun 21 Nov         Stevenage Gordon Craig                              

Sat 8 Nov             Wimborne Tivoli                              

Sat 15 Nov           Llanelli, the Lyric Theatre                             

Sun 16 Nov         Chesham Elgiva                 

Find out more at www.thesootyshow.com.

Bigjigs Magnetic Theatre Presents - The Three Little Pigs

Freddy's latest Play Patrol Mission from Bigjigs was to put the fun of the Magnetic Theatre to the test, helped by his big sister Kizzy.  So it was time for them to raise the curtains and let the drama begin!

The Magnetic Theatre comes complete with a theatre, decorations, 15 figures and 2 magnetic sticks.  The theatre is constructed by slotting the thick cardboard curtains and scenery into slots on a wooden base.  The scenery and decorations are interchangeable, giving the backdrop for four exciting fairy stories.  

The assembly of the theatre was very straightforward and Freddy was able to build it himself.  The 15 figures provide all the characters needed to put on plays of Pinocchio, The Three Little Pigs, Cinderella and Little Red Riding Hood.  There is a story sheet included so children can remind themselves of the stories.

The hand painted wooden figures each have a magnetic base, which allows them to be controlled using the magnetic sticks from underneath the stage. 

The characters were quite easy to control once Freddy got used to how to use the sticks without knocking down the whole theatre.  (It took a little while but he got there!) He really enjoyed the fact he could make the little figures move around the stage using the power of magnetism!  Magnets always fascinate Freddy and it was good to see him understand how the movement of the figures was controlled from underneath the base of the stage with the force going through the cardboard. He had some fun experimenting with the movement both on and off the stage.

Using the magnetic sticks and moving the characters around the stage helps develop a child's dexterity as it requires quite a deft touch.  Constructing the stage and matching up the backdrops with the stage decorations is also something that children could do independently.

The figures and the stage scenery help unleash a child's imagination and they will soon be immersed in a world of storytelling, as they act out their own plays.  They can stick to the traditional tales or make up their own exciting tales featuring princesses, wolves, piggies, old grannies and handsome princes!  The stage direction is in their hands!

Freddy and Ella decided to keep it traditional for their big performance as they acted out the tale of the Three Little Pigs.  Piggies 1, 2 and 3 are really cute with their snouts and beady eyes.  Mr.Wolf has a long snout and pointy ears, perfect for starring roles in both the Three Little Pigs and Red riding Hood!

Here is a 30 second theatre performance demonstrating the fun of putting on a play with your big sister!

I love that the Bigjigs Magnetic Theatre is a prop to imaginative storytelling and role play.  Both help a child's communication skills and boost their confidence.  Putting on a show is always fun to do and having the figures from four different stories adds to the variety of plays that a child can perform.  There are no scripts, so little ones can act out plays from memory or just invent their own tales.  

Freddy absolutely loved putting on a show!  He particularly enjoyed the fact that I filmed it and he can watch his performance as the rather terrifying big, bad wolf whenever he likes.

The Bigjigs Magnetic Theatre is suitable for ages 3 and up and retails for £16.99, which is great value.

It all packs back into the slimline box once showtime is over, making it easy to store away.