There’s an Easter family treat at York Theatre Royal this week – with singing, dancing, and a Monster!
Meet Monster, Dragon, Alien, and Unicorn at York Theatre Royal, as Tom Fletcher’s There’s A Monster In Your Show explodes onto the stage in a captivating show of interactive fun.
There’s A Monster In Your Show is at York Theatre Royal from Tuesday 26 to Thursday 28 March.
The show is adapted by Zoe Bourn from the McFly member’s beloved Who’s In Your Book? book series, directed by Miranda Larson and with original music from Tom Fletcher himself and Barry Bignold.
With the theatre full of excited children who were mesmerised by what was happening on stage it was a delight to witness what may have been their first experience of live theatre.
As we entered the auditorium, we were greeted by the colourful stage and jolly music which captured the audience’s imagination instantly. Once we took our seats, the cast members emerged onto the stage (and got some very enthusiastic waves) and actually came into the audience and interacted with the children before the show which was a lovely added element.
Then, after a voice-over announcement from Tom Fletcher, the 50-minute high energy adventure could begin.
The production follows four ‘story-makers’ who are getting ready to perform their own show, but quickly discover that they’re not alone on stage when they realise Monster has escaped from his book!
The cast is lead by Charlie (Vinnie Monachello), who tries to keep his worry gremlins away as the chaos unfolds on stage. Monachello has a lovely, clear singing voice and rallied together the enthused audience and cheeky puppets alike with ease, and brought fantastic energy to the stage.
For this performance, we had Ashton Owen as Sam and puppeteer for Monster, Charlie Daniells as Alex and puppeteer for Dragon and Unicorn, and Josh Macrow as Ben and puppeteer for Alien. Each performer brought their character (and puppet) to life with great aplomb, and had tremendous voices and physicality. Particularly impressive was Charlie Daniells, as she brought both Dragon and Unicorn alive with distinct character for each.
Perhaps the real stars of the show though were the puppets themselves – expertly designed and created by Keith Frederick. They were a joy to watch, and had moving elements like their mouths and eyes, and at one point ‘smoke’ even came out of Dragon’s nose! The puppets were a huge hit especially with the children in the audience, and it was wonderful to watch them experience that magic – which couldn’t have been possible without the very talented performers operating them.
The original songs also went down a treat with the kids as they had lots of interactive elements, with actions and words to join in with. The children couldn’t wait to leap to their feet and join in with the dancing!
The way that the show incorporates elements of the book is really well done, and the moment at the end where the mischievous Monster and his friends have to return to their pages gained a touching ‘ooooo’ from the audience.
The show has an age guidance of 3+ but it really is for any age, and has a wonderful message of teamwork, friendship and fun. There were some genuinely laugh out loud moments, and it is the perfect family show to enjoy this Easter holiday.
There’s A Monster In Your Show is at York Theatre Royal until Thursday 28 March. Tickets start from £14 and are available via the York Theatre Royal website.