Showing posts with label Children' Shows. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Children' Shows. Show all posts

Wednesday 27 June 2018

Dates for your Diary - Pinocchio: The Boy Within at the Epstein Theatre - 23rd to 24th July 2018

Liverpool based theatre company Cuckootales, are bringing a brand new and enchanting show to the Epstein Theatre on the 23rd and 24th July with Pinocchio: The Boy Within.

This original production is written and directed by Pauline Morris and Gemma Hurst with music arranged and recorded by Felix Hagan and is performed by a local Liverpool cast who are joined by the Helen O'Grady Drama Academy.

Characters from the shabby and sinister, to the pure and ethereal combine with a visually striking set. Puppets and costumes will capture the imagination of audiences of all ages, and the host of memorable songs are guaranteed to have everyone singing along.

 Photo by Andrew AB
Carlo Collodi's classic story tells of the impoverished carpenter who lovingly carves a puppet son, Pinocchio. Magically springing to life but struggling with the 'truth' he embarks on a journey facing moral temptation and mortal peril. Finding that his nose grows with every lie he tells, Pinocchio ultimately overcomes all obstacles to find 'the boy within.'

This adaptation packed with humour, focuses on the human bonds of friendship, family and compassion. The timeless setting seems an unlikely and somewhat 'grubby' backdrop for our heroes, but it is one capable of showing that 'magic truly is a wonderful thing.'

Tickets are on sale now.

The 11am show on the 24th July will be a Relaxed Performance, perfect for anyone that would benefit from a more relaxed performance environment - including those with an autism spectrum condition or learning disability. There will also be a 'Meet and Greet' with the cast after this performance.

Listing Details

Show - Pinocchio: The Boy Within
Date - Monday 23rd July and Tuesday 24th July
Time - Monday 2pm & 6pm / Tuesday 11am, 3pm & 7pm
Tickets - £10 Standard, £9 Concession, £35 Family
Website - www.epsteinliverpool.co.uk
Facebook - www.facebook.com/epsteintheatre
Twitter - @EpsteinTheatre

Relaxed Performance: 11am on 24th July

To book tickets please call 0844 888 4411* or go online at www.epsteinliverpool.co.uk* or in person at The Epstein Theatre Box Office from 12pm - 6pm Monday to Saturday.

*Subject to booking fee. All prices include a £1 per ticket restoration levy.

Photo by Andrew AB
*Disclaimer - Information provided is correct at time of writing, but is of course subject to change. I would therefore always recommend visiting the venues own website in order to obtain the most up to date information.

Monday 31 July 2017

Paw Patrol Live! Race to the Rescue - Review

A few weeks ago we told you all about the upcoming UK tour of Paw Patrol Live! Race to the Rescue. On Saturday the tour began with a wonderful performance at the Manchester O2 Apollo and my family and I were very excited to see one of the opening shows on Saturday afternoon.

My son Riley absolutely loves Paw Patrol and so we knew he would be absolutely over the moon to see them live on stage. We were all so excited to see his reaction when he saw his favourite pups singing and dancing and we definitely weren't disappointed.

Paw Patrol Live! Race to the Rescue shows that "No job is too big, no pup is too small!" and families can join Ryder, Chase, Marshall, Rocky, Rubble, Zuma, Skye and Everest for the show's first tour in the UK and Ireland. 


I told Riley that he could choose to take one of his Paw Patrol toys with him to the show and he quickly chose Chase as his special guest to accompany him. He was so excited and his older brother and sister joined in the fun on the way to the show singing the Paw Patrol theme tune in the car with Riley on the 40 minute journey to Manchester. Luckily the traffic was on our side and we reached Manchester with plenty of time and arrived at the venue an hour before the show started.

This was great for us as it meant no rushing and we were able to find a parking space, pick up the tickets from the box office, pop to the loo, buy some snacks and have a nosey at some of the merchandise on offer. Once we had finished in the lobby area we made our way through to find our seats and we were very pleased with our view of the stage.

Paw Patrol music was playing in the background and Riley began dancing when he recognised the Pup Pup Boogie song over the speakers. He began to get so excited when other children started arriving and he passed the time waiting for the show to start by looking out for people in costumes. Some children had some fantastic Marshall and Chase outfits on (which I have been told I MUST buy for Riley!).

When it came to the show starting time Riley quickly sat upright in his seat eager to see who would be heading onto the stage. We were immediately greeted by Ryder who got the audience going and encouraged lots of audience participation with singing and dancing and waving our cardboard pom poms around that we were given on arrival.


Once the pups started to be introduced on the stage I actually got a little bit emotional with a tear in my eye seeing Riley so happy and no less than 10 minutes into the show he was already asking if we could come back the next day to see it again.

Without giving too much of the story away, the show follows the day of The Great Race where Mayor Goodway and Mayor Humdinger from Foggy Bottom must compete to see who can reach the finish line first. Unfortunately Mayor Goodway injures her foot which means she has to yelp for help and the pups come to her rescue and save the day. The performance features lots of twists and turns, audience interaction, singing, dancing and a few comical moments too, so there is plenty to keep the whole family entertained.


Mayor Goodway was my particular favourite in the show and I felt that the character was portrayed really well. The pups costumes were fantastic and Riley was so happy when we got to see some of their vehicles too! The costumes use Bunraku puppetry which is an innovating costume approach which helps to bring the Paw Patrol characters to life on stage. They really were fantastic and Riley was so mesmerised by the pups that he didn't even notice the puppeteers.

It is a high energy performance from start to finish and the running time of 80 minutes (including interval) is just the right length of time to keep little ones entertained and hold their attention. We all really enjoyed the show, not just Riley, and felt that it was an excellent family show.

Paw Patrol Live! Race to the Rescue will be continuing their tour around the UK & Ireland over the next few weeks with visits to London, Nottingham, Birmingham, Liverpool, Newcastle, Leeds, Cardiff, Glasgow, Belfast & Dublin. For the most up to date ticket information or for more information on the show then please visit the Paw Patrol Live! Race to the Rescue website here: Paw Patrol UK

You can also visit their social media accounts at:

Twitter - @PAWPatrolLiveUK
Facebook - PawPatrolLiveUK

Disclaimer: We were provided with complimentary tickets to the event for the purpose of providing an honest review of our experience. The information provided was correct at time of writing but is of course subject to change, so would always recommend visiting the shows own website to obtain the most up to date information.