Peppa Pig’s Party coming to a theatre near you

E1 Entertainment is bringing Peppa Pig to a theatre near you, as Peppa Pig’s Party gets ready to tour the UK.

Seven UK venues have been confirmed for the autumn run, with a further 60 venues to be announced for 2010. Peppa Pig’s birthday will be the theme of the production, which will mix the loveable characters from the TV show with songs and audience participation.

Booking is now taking place through the Peppa Pig Live website.

Produced by Fiery Angel, which already has LazyTown, The Fimbles and Hi-5 shows to its credit, Peppa Pig’s Party will feature puppetry from Nigel Plaskitt and music from LazyTown composer Mani Svavarsson. Richard Lewis will direct.

“Bringing one of the UK’s best-loved children’s programmes to the stage is both a wonderful treat for her fans and a marvellous opportunity to raise the already high public awareness of the brand even further,” said E1 Entertainment’s Hannah Mungo. “ But we would not have attempted it without a partner that could provide a strong background in high-quality theatre production and an in-depth understanding of the children’s entertainment market.

“Fiery Angel clearly offers these qualities as well as the creative talent and experience needed to bring the fun, warmth and laughter of Peppa Pig to the stage – and we feel sure that children and their parents will agree when they see this delightful show.”

Peppa Pig’s Party 2009 dates
30 September–4 October, Exeter Northcott
7 & 8 October, Preston Charter Theatre
10 & 11 October, Grove Theatre Dunstable
14–17 October, Bath Theatre Royal
21–25 October, Nottingham Theatre Royal
28 & 29 October, Hayes Beck Theatre
30 October–1 November, Hackney Empire

Comments

[mrs c lee]

What an anti-climax! What a disappointment! I paid £48 to see the 'Peppa Pig Party' at the Grove Theatre in Dunstable this afternoon and both myself,my hubby and children aged 2 and 5(who are huge fans of the t.v. show)found it boring,unimaginative and dull.I can't believe the same people behind the 'BFG' and 'Lazytown live' were responsible for producing this.The story line was boring and uncaptivating(until the party scene and things livened up a bit with a song) the set was basic and the props e.g birds and duck were pathetic. All the magic of 'Peppa Pig' and co disappeared as soon as 'Danny Dog' appeared about one foot high with a man's hand up his back.I know it was only £12 a ticket but i really expected something better than this.It was obviously just a money spinner to cash in on the 'Peppa Pig' brand! coupled together with the extortionate prices of so called 'Official Merchandise'(glow in the dark butterfly's costing £6 each !!!)it was an extremely poor afternoon.We had looked forward to this for quite a while and it was supposed to be the highlight of the year for us!I am soooo disappointed for our little boys.

[Clive Sintrain]

Wow! I was so wary about going to see the show in Salford this week having booked ages ago and then come across the above review which made us feel like the writer's children had come back from the theatre scarred for life!

However, our experience couldn't have been further from Mrs Lee's above. I can only assume that this is a slightly different show from the one seen last year as Danny Dog was not the first puppet to be seen, so maybe the producers have taken feedback on board and made some changes? We were a little nervous about going also because the last children's show we all saw together had actors dressed up in HUGE animal costumes and that just too scary for the little one. As it was, they found the sight of puppet and puppeteer disconcerting at first but then very quickly became engrossed in the story and only saw the characters.

We also paid about the same amount for a family ticket, and thought it was the most fantastic afternoon out. The music was very catching, and the puppetry captivated our kids. Yes, us grown ups might have focused on the actors working the puppets, but then the show's not realy aimed at us, and both Barney and Millie LOVED every minute of the show and were dancing in the aisles during the party scene.

Everything about the show was magical - including Daddy Pig's magic trick! They still want to know where his magic cane came from! The nature trail was a real winner with lovely animals incluing a duck, a bird and some butterflies. Our favourite had to be the Bing Bong song when they tried to bake a cake for Peppa's birthday! So nice to hear a song we recognise.

As for the merchandise, of course it was over-priced, but it also wasn't compulsory, so we simply didn't buy any. This is a great hour's entertainment and I would suggest anyone worrying about spending the money on the ticket should do so anyway as your children will love you, and just not waste your money on naff toys. It's called parenting!

Lesson learnt? Don't be swayed by one solitary negative review if you're looking forward to something yourself. This was a realy lovely way to spend some quality time with the children.