If you have children aged between 2 and 9, then the Midlands Art Centre (MAC) have put on the BEST Christmas Show for that age range this year. It is obviously a hit too as many of the seats in our performance yesterday were taken and I have heard of quite a few schools taking KS1 along for the school Christmas Shows.
If you haven’t purchased any theatre tickets yet but want a nice 60 minute Christmas show for your little ones, then this will be the one for you.
Set in an intimate theatre, where less is more on stage, it is perfect for young children. It is not too crowded, not too busy and portrayed in a way that is easy for young ones to understand.
On the stage is a lot of white. A snowy hill and snowy ground, all set like a turned page of a book. Theres a projector screen behind which shows things like imprints of bodies when Kipper and his friends do snow angels or footsteps through the snow.
At the very start of the show, the three puppeteers all dressed in white, walk around the stage in silence, making the children laugh. It is a great way to introduce the puppeteers, making them familiar to the children, so that when the characters of the story are used by the puppeteers, the children are more interested in the characters (puppets). Very cleverly done I thought. The singing and movement from the puppeteers (Olugbeminiyi Bammodu, Lucy Clarke and Nicola Blackwell) is amazing and they definitely deserve a mention. Without them the show wouldn’t be as great as it is.
For those who have not read any of the Kipper Stories by Mick Inkpen, Kipper is a friendly (and mischievous) dog who has a few main friends; Baby Arnold, Pig and Tiger (another dog). These are the characters used within the theatre production of ‘Kipper’s Snowy Day’.
I don’t want to spoil the plot and take away the fun of the show, but there are snowball fights, a Christmas Tree and some (not so) hidden messages for children. There are songs, lots of chances to laugh and many warm hearted moments.
My girls laughed lots and it was plain to see all of the other children enjoyed the show too as not one of the many children in the theatre made a noise other than laughter. Especially look out for the robin bit where Nicola Blackwell has everyone (even adults) giggling.
Well done Slot Machine Theatre for creating and performing such a great show. It was magical and a great introduction to theatre for little ones.
Also, make sure you get your little ones to put their faces through the holes in the Kipper scene by the main front door and tag #KipperatMAC on social media.
There is also a merchandise stand where you can buy Kippers reindeer ears for £2, a cuddly Kipper and many other little gifts. They even have a card machine, so there is no need to count out your change or worry that you do not have the cash on you.
Tickets are priced from £10.
The show is running until Tuesday 31st December 2019.
MAC are great at being inclusive, so have put on a number of relaxed and BSL performances:
Fri 29 November, 10:30am | Relaxed + BSL interpreted
Fri 29 November, 1pm | Relaxed (limited availability)
Sun 8 December, 11am | Relaxed
Sat 21 December, 11am | BSL interpreted
Disclaimer: We were invited along to the pyjama press performance of the Show. All thoughts and opinions are entirely our own. Thank you Midlands Arts Centre.
Production Photographs by Luminous Photography.