Recently we went to see GaGa Theatre’s production of Up and Down, a charming show based on the work of Oliver Jeffers.
The show is a mixture of live performance, with a large cinema screen background which is also used to help the story along. Up and Down features two loveable characters of the boy and his penguin.
Up and Down is a sequel to Oliver Jeffer’s best selling book Lost and Found. We actually don’t have this book (although we do have other Oliver Jeffers books) but that really didn’t affect the children’s enjoyment of the show too much. If they did have the book they may recognise parts of the story though which would make it more special. The show does include bits from some of the other books like How to Catch a Star which we do have, so the children recognised that and especially enjoyed seeing that bit.
The performance uses only the two actors, along with some props and the back ground screen and language is kept quite simple which makes it ideal for younger theatre goers. The recommended age is 0-5 which I think is exactly right. Mr T and Mr R (2 and 4) enjoyed the show the most while it was a little young for Mr Z who is 6 next month. I saw many babies in the audience too who were enjoying the show! At only 40 minutes long it makes a perfect first visit to the theatre.
There are some lovely interactive moments during the show. At one point a large colourful parachute is brought out over the audience which is lots of fun and my little ones enjoyed doing some actions along with the show.
Up and Down is showing at various Picture House venues across London and SW England: Henley, Brighton, Hammersmith, East Finchley, Richmond and Chelsea.
We saw the show at the Hammersmith Picture House and found the venue really child friendly. I noticed how friendly and helpful the staff were, which made everyone feel very relaxed and welcome.
The show is running until June 8th and will be at Richmond and Chelsea for these last few dates.
Find out more about Gaga Theatre Up and Down here.
Linking up to:
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*We were given free admission to the show in order to review. Affiliate links included.
Anna Marikar, mum of four and seasoned blogger, has spent over a decade sharing her parenting journey and passion for kid-friendly crafts and free printables.
Her easy-to-follow craft ideas and practical parenting advice have transformed In The Playroom into a cherished resource for parents.
What a lovely introduction to theatre for little ones! Thanks for linking up with #TriedTested
That sounds lovely. Our first theatre trip was The Gruffalo. #TriedTested
Ah, this sounds really magical. Shame there aren’t any dates up North I think LM would love it. Thanks for linking up to #WHWH
This sounds and looks great. What a lovely introduction to the theatre for little ones. #WHWH