A timeless classic still captivating younger audiences. The Very Hungry Caterpillar show hit the spot at Norwich Playhouse.
The Rockefeller production brought to life four short stories by author/illustrator Eric Carle: Brown Bear, Brown Bear, 10 Little Rubber Ducks, The Very Busy Spider and The Very Hungry Caterpillar in an hour-long set that featured a menagerie of over 75 puppets.
Carle’s captivating tale of the caterpillar who munched through everything from a cup cake to a less than appetising pickle, before emerging as a beautiful, colourful butterfly has now sold more than 48 million copies since it was first published in 1969.
But on the evidence of the full house, and the squeals from the little people in attendance with their families, it remains as popular as ever.
The minimal look to the white stage set and the dress code of the energetic performers merely served as the perfect counterpoint to a riot of colour and movement, as the animal puppets swooped and swirled, crawled and jumped, chased and raced around the theatre.
The only pause for breath came at the brief interlude between all four stories, as the actors moved seamlessly into position to direct the well-choreographed ensemble of puppets.
The jumping frog, the red bird and the blue horse who appeared from the stable door were particular favourites of my four-year-old son from the 'Brown Bear, Brown Bear' fable.
The warm colours of the sea backdrop carried the 'wow' factor as the blue whale majestically rose from the deep in the story of the '10 Little Rubber Ducks' and their contrasting fortunes, after being tipped overboard a cargo ship.
The playful personality of the actors came to the fore in the 'Very Busy Spider', as the graceful lead character wove a web as the narrative unfolded.
But the show stopper was predictably the 'Very Hungry Caterpillar' finale. You could sense the palpable excitement in the theatre, with the biggest cheer of the performance reserved for the emergence of the caterpillar.
Then the signature catchphrase, ‘..But he was still hungry’ rolled around the theatre with each passing course, before a collective gasp when the stage was plunged into darkness prior to the reveal of the colourfully glorious butterfly.
I will leave the final word to my enraptured four-year-old when pressed for his snap verdict: Excellent.
To find out about future events at Norwich Theatre’s venues go to https://norwichtheatre.org/
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