This afternoon we headed over to Birmingham Town Hall to watch The Tiger Who Came to Tea. One of the best selling children’s story books by Judith Kerr, written and published in 1968 and now adapted for stage by David Wood.
We love Birmingham Town Hall as the events held here are always very well organised, the seats are comfy and it seems that wherever you sit you still have a great view of the stage, the sound is great and the staff are always very friendly and accommodating. They have a dedicated pushchair/pram area, there’s baby changing facilities and the café drinks section has plenty of drink options for children. We decided on two apple fruit shoots and I had a coca cola. It came to just over £4.
We headed to the merchandise stand for a nosey (there’s plenty of things to choose from to buy including books, cuddly tigers, tigers on sticks and hard badges), the lady on the stand was kindly handing out free sticker badges to the children and my two had one each. We then headed off upstairs to the circle to sit in our seats with a great view of the stage (circle row E, seats, 1-4).
The show was a 1:30pm start and at 1:31pm, a voice told everyone to turn their mobile phones off and any other beeping devices and the audience were reminded not to take photos or videos during the performance and with that out of the way, the show commenced.
At this point my phone also went away, so further pictures are courtesy of The Tiger Who Came to Tea’s photographer.
Sophie (Abbey Norman) , Sophies Mum (Stephanie Summers) and Sophies Dad (Thomas O’Connell) came onto the stage and the performance began.
For those who haven’t read the story book (I know, who am I kidding, you’ve all read the story book) it is about a family of three (Sophie and her mum and dad) and one day when her dad goes off to work (late, as is usual for dads) there are a few knocks on the door, first a milkman then the postman and just as Sophie and her Mum are ready to settle down to eat, a Tiger comes to Tea and eats EVERYTHING edible and drinkable in the house. Poor Sophie can’t even have her 7pm bath as the Tiger drinks ALL of the water.
The show is cleverly put together with songs, dancing, acting, chances to giggle and plenty of moments for audience participation (you get to stand on your feet and dance too if you want). Sat next to us was a family of three generations, with the eldest gentleman looking to be around 75-80 years old and he really enjoyed joining in with the audience participation. So you might think this show is only for little ones, but you would be wrong, grown ups will like it too.
For Matilda, she was mostly in hysterics when Sophies dad was getting ready for work in the morning and kept making silly mistakes. Trying to put his arm in his suit jacket without letting go of his briefcase or when he put the tea cosy on his head instead of his hat. “Mummy, he is so silly isn’t he” Matilda Said.
Jemima who is always full of energy really loved dancing with the Tiger “Swing your tail, shake your paws, stretch your claws…” and singing with the family in the cafe, a song about yummy sausages, chips and ice cream for pudding, where the whole room was split into three groups to sing with a different cast member. It was interactive and fun and the show flew by so quickly.
Both girls loved the clock counting which was educational and great fun. It sounded like all of the children were counting the hours loudly together with a “Tick, Tock, Tick, Tock” included too.
As an adult, I really enjoyed the disappearing items (almost like magic) from the cupboards and the mannerisms and movements from the Tiger. And… I enjoyed seeing all four people on the stage after. I honestly had thought the Tiger was played by the dad who never appeared on the stage with the Tiger and definitely had the same movements and mannerisms… until they all came on to say goodbye. So who is the Tiger?
Conclusion: It’s a huge thumbs up and five stars from the SmallHouseBigTrips household. A truly magical show filled to the brim with tiger-tastic fun and giggles.
Would you like to go? The show is on at Birmingham Town Hall until 13th January 2019. Tickets are available online here: https://www.thsh.co.uk/event/the-tiger-who-came-to-tea-live
Disclaimer : We were invited along by THSH to watch the show. All comments are our own. We loved the show.