Blog

Adapter: Matthew Xia and Vicky Stone

Director: Mateo Xia

Hello Duggee live is a new stage show featuring everyone’s favorite characters from the CBeebies preschool series. The show features songs and stories from the show performed live on stage. It’s like a pop concert for kids ages 2-5, complete with audience participation!

Hi Duggee, the animated series, first hit our screens in 2014, with a second series commissioned in 2016, and has won numerous awards and accolades, including 6 BAFTAs and Emmys.

At the beginning of the show, our favorite characters appear one at a time. Nori (Jane Crawshaw), Happy (Kaidyn Niall Hinds), Roly (Clarke Joseph-Edwards), Tag (Vinnie Monachello) and Bette (Sarah Palmer) in the form of huge puppets that cause a roar of excitement from the howling young crowd. .

The genius of this live production is handing out “Badge” stickers to all the kids on the way to the theater, so they can earn their badges along with Duggee (Benedict Hastings) and the Chipmunks.

Together we earn our egg, a cappella (boots and cats and boots and cats), singing, space, choreography, costumes, and ultimately our theater badges, while meeting other favorite personalities including Mrs. Weaver, Hennie, Chew Chew, Chipo, Boris and of course Mr and Mr Crab, all ably played by chameleon performer Lunga Anele-Skosana, who is a vocal powerhouse and embodies each character with great commitment and energy.

The challenge of entertaining children in such a large space is well met. The puppets are huge, colorful, and allow for a lot of movement, so the dance routines feel elegant yet easy enough for young dance fans to imitate. The set, lights and projections work perfectly and the space scene is a real highlight.

The only drawback to the production was that the sound level of the music was so high that at times the characters became inaudible. However, this did nothing to dampen the spirits of the young audience, and one small critic did not sit through the entire show.

Featuring many songs we all recognize, including Step by Step and of course The Stick Song, this production is sure to have your little theater goer rocking in the aisles.

Careersuntil March 18, 2023.