Dear Zoo roars into Gatehouse - review
Dear Zoo is just one of those books you read to your children.
It’s up there with The Gruffalo, The Tiger Who Came To Tea, We're Going On A Bear Hunt and Winnie The Pooh books as the golden gate of children's bedtime entertainment.
You often wonder what your child thinks of your high-pitched excitement and animal impressions as you read through them. Do they care really? Do they Just feign interest while they guzzle their milk hoping you'll shut up soon?
A touring production of Dear Zoo coming to Stafford's well-placed Gatehouse Theatre was a perfect opportunity to find out. Let somebody else do the hard work and see if your little one got hooked.
They’ve expanded this much-loved 1982 book, adding three human characters to act out Rod Campbell's story for the audience.
Our protagonists are Ben and Sally – two children obsessed with watering flowers who really want a pet. So they contact the titular zoo and are sent a string of unsuitable animals until they finally strike lucky.
Delivering them is Sam, a zookeeper who clearly isn’t liked at his workplace as he keeps getting sent to drive unwanted animals to and from our best friends.
Sam's opening encounter didn’t please our boy. At 16 months old this was his first foray to the theatre, and Sam’s efforts to rile up the crowd and get them shouting worked a treat – much to the horror of Little Man who burst into tears.
But once the animals were in the mix he got into it. They are portrayed either by cardboard puppets or somebody in costume and look just as they do in Campbell's simply illustrated book. This is great for recognition from the young audience, who instantly start shouting out what the animal will be as they spot the crates they have seen one thousand times on the page roll onto stage.
The songs are cute and interactive for the little ones. And there are plenty of times – such as when the jumpy frog is leaping before us – for the audience to get out of their seats and join in.
The final animal, which eventually pleases young Ben and Sally, has everyone up and cheering as this animal-based tale reaches its cute and cuddly conclusion.
It’s simple, doesn’t try to be too flashy and just tells a tale children have loved for 37 years in a sing-song manner no parent can pull off by themselves while tucking little ones in.
Dear Zoo plays again today at the Gatehouse at 11am and 2pm.
