Hey Duggee
I often leave theatres in despair at the fact that young people seem not to know how live theatre works, that it does not come with a pause button or a rewind facility. So it was with both interest and fear that I went along to see Hey Duggee, the live theatre show of the very popular TV show for very young children. And very young they were too, all of course accompanied by parents and guardians and to a great extent buggy-born. It meant that the queue reached far beyond view outside the theatre which of course also meant that there was a huge turnout for the event, and indeed the theatre was rammed with excited kids and equally excited parents too.
I’d done a little research in advance and watched Duggee and his gang and I was impressed, as a designer myself I really liked the vibrant drawing of the characters and equally liked the content, informative without being patronising and definitely fun. But how could they translate this to the stage?
Hey Duggee – The Live Theatre Show. Press call at the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre in London on Wednesday 14th December 2022.
Photo by James Watkins.
Hey Duggee – The Live Theatre Show. Press call at the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre in London on Wednesday 14th December 2022.
Photo by James Watkins.
Well they did it with style, great puppets, great characterisation and brilliant staging from the animated backdrop to the first class lighting. And the audience lapped it up, joining in wherever they were asked, singing along and dancing in their seats, their parents laps and some in the aisles. And they knew the moves too.
Each section had a purpose, Duggee and the squirrels told us about a capella, about choreography, singing, dancing and about outer space. The outer space bit was an odd inclusion but visually stunning, but the rest of the piece was all about putting on a show and winning badges. The badges were actually stickers on the back of a flyer given to every child on arrival, but with no explanation of that a lot of stickers were peeled and stuck way in advance, so maybe a little explanation at the door night help.
I don’t often go along to see children’s theatre but I am really glad that I did. A show conceived for young people that introduces them to live entertainment of any kind has surely got to be a good thing and this was a very good thing. The audience were entertained and engrossed for just over an hour, about the right length for little ones for sure and the audience left with smiles on their faces. The cast do a brilliant job and the whole is very impressive. The kids I am sure would award it the full five stars so who am I to disagree?
Andrew Kay
7 February
Theatre Royal Brighton
Rating: 
