Monday, 26 November 2012

Review: Room on the Broom at the Lyric Theatre


Room on the Broom
Lyric Theatre
Sunday 25th November 2012 (12pm)


"Join a witch and her cat as they fly happily along on their broomstick – until a stormy wind blows the witch’s hat, bow and wand away into the night! With the help of a daft dog, a beautiful bird and a friendly frog, her belongings are retrieved. But this broomstick’s not meant for five and – CRACK! – it snaps in two! When a hungry dragon appears, who will save the poor witch? And will there ever be room on the broom for everyone?"

Room on the Broom is a lovely little children's show and is perfect for a fun family outing. The show captivates the imagination with a fun storyline, an impressive set and amazing puppets.  I thought children and  theatre could be a potential recipe for disaster but I was proved wrong.

Room on the Broom is aimed at children aged 3 - 8 years which makes it the perfect introduction to theatre. In West End Frame's recent interview with Olivia Jacobs, director of Room on the Broom, Olivia commented "Theatre has a huge amount to compete with nowadays in terms of TV, film, internet and gaming. Children are growing up with a very literal presentation of stories on television and their attention spans are growing ever shorter. For me, theatre is the only genre that can bring a story to life and tell it directly to the specific audience who are watching on that specific day. In the theatre, we can weave a live, non-literal, magical story that isn't removed from it’s audience by a flat screen. Families can go to the theatre together and feel part of an experience, be talked to directly – and nothing beats that."

I couldn't agree more with that statement. It is so important that children are introduced to theatre at a young age. To watch four actors on stage create a magical world is far more beneficial than sitting in front of  a computer for hours on end. The show encourages children to use their imagination and it was interesting to see how nearly all the children in the audience were engaged from beginning to end.


The cast of Room on the Broom were superb. Just before the show starts the actors bounce off the stage, into the audience to play a game of hide and seek which is a great way to start. The children loved it.

Room on the Broom features a variety of catchy songs, but be warned, both children and parents won't be able to stop singing them on the way home.

Visit www.roomonthebroomlive.co.uk to find out more and to book tickets.

Andrew Tomlins (Editor)
andrew@westendframe.com

Click here to read West End Frame's full interview with Olivia Jacobs, director of Room on the Broom.

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