A Visit To The Marlowe Theatre

Canterbury in Kent is the perfect place for my family and I when it comes to days out. Being local is a huge bonus but this town boasts plenty of places to eat and drink, museums and historic venues to visit and lots of shops to wander through and in the heart of the town you can also find the Marlowe Theatre.

My girls and I were recently invited along to watch a new show, Don't Let The Pigeon Drive the Bus.

The Friendly bus driver leaves us with one simple instruction : "don't let the pigeon drive the bus!" What could possibly go wrong?

Coming from author Mo Willems who is an award winning writer and animator for Seasame Street,  straight away I was expecting good things.

Recommended for children aged 3 and upwards, this lively show promises lots of laughter and excitement and I can tell you first hand that it well and truly delivers.

Shown in Marlowe theatre's studio room, I found it to be the perfect venue. The room itself isn't very large, which I prefer especially for kids, gives it more of an intimate feel and allows the children to get comfortable, not overwhelmed.

We were sat around the middle rows and had no problems seeing what was going on and lucky for me we were seated just far enough back that I avoided getting wet from water being sprayed half way through, we did however have a good chuckle at the ones being soaked in the front rows.

With a mixture of singing, dancing and lots of audience participation, the 45 minutes which it was going for seemed to speed by, we could have quite happily sat and watched for longer.

I found how the play was presented was clever because of how simple it seemed to be. Only two actors and some large cubes with pictures on for props, you can see the bus as an example below.

These props changed from buses, to benches, to colourful greenery and even to trucks, all done with precision.

The songs that were sung were a big part of the show, they were original yet catchy, my daughter's were singing them long after we left the theatre, I now have hot dogs on the brain (inside joke).

I was so pleased to see so many children getting up out of their seats and copying the actions because sometimes children can get shy in situations like these but looking about the room, there were smiles all around.

Honestly even the adults were joining in, shouting out and trying out the actions, I found myself laughing along to some of the jokes, the inner child in me was certainly escaping.

It was so entertaining that even my 2 and half year old managed to stay in her seat the whole time.

This type of show is definitely the perfect introduction to the theatre for younger children. It was fun and most definitely entertaining, perfect for the whole family to enjoy, gets a big thumbs up from us!!

xxxx