There’s a Monster in Your Show – Belgrade Theatre, Coventry
We were kindly invited along as press to see There’s a Monster in Your Show at Coventry’s Belgrade Theatre, and what a special performance to attend, as the venue marked the 100th stop on the show’s tour.
Based on the much-loved book series by Tom Fletcher, the production brings the playful, interactive style of the “Who’s in Your Book?” stories to life on stage. We’re already fans at home, There’s a Superhero in Your Book is a firm bedtime favourite, so Alfie, my 4 year old son was very excited to see this show!
The story follows a group of performers, led by Charlie, who are busy putting the finishing touches to their show. Adjusting the lights, sorting costumes and preparing the set. But just as they’re ready to begin, they discover they’re not alone. A Little Monster has popped out of his book and wants to be part of the action! Chaos (the fun kind!) ensues as the Monster causes mischief and eventually brings his friends – Dragon, Unicorn and Alien, out of their books too. Thankfully, with teamwork and a lot of audience help, everything comes together and the show is saved before the characters return safely to their stories.
At 4 years and 7 months (and with a generally short attention span!), this felt like the perfect first theatre experience. The 50 minute running time suited us perfectly for a half-term afternoon outing, and it held Alfie’s attention from beginning to end.
The staging was bright and colourful, the cast brought boundless energy and enthusiasm, and the puppeteering was fantastic – even if Alfie did whisper throughout, “Mummy, you know that’s not a real monster? You can see the man behind.” No flies on him!
There’s plenty of audience participation – clapping, patting, wiggling and even a bit of bum-shaking, which keeps little ones fully engaged and feeling part of the action.
After the performance, we were lucky enough to meet the cast and characters, enjoy some colouring activities (with a celebratory cupcake or two!), and Alfie chose a complimentary copy of There’s a Dragon in My Book to take home which was a lovely touch to round off the experience.
As the curtain came down, Alfie declared, “Is it the end? Owwww!” followed quickly by “That was SO good!” which, honestly, says everything.
For families with pre-school and early primary children, this is a bright, fun and engaging introduction to live theatre.
It’s on for a few more days this week at The Belgrade so book your tickets now!
