The family film Madagascar by Dreamworks premiered in 2005; families everywhere were “moving it” to the cinema and to the subsequent sequels. This musical, currently seeing its UK tour after its 2011 premiere, brings this cutesy and condensed narrative to the stage.
Alex the lion is a showstopper at the Central Park Zoo. His cushy life is full of steaks served up rare, but his zebra friend Marty is itching to see how green the grass really is in “the wild.” Marty escapes, and Alex, along with giraffe and hippo friends Melman and Gloria, take to the New York subway to find him, only to find themselves then tranqulised and shipped off to an unknown wildlife preserve. Will the friendship between Alex and Marty survive when this lion’s house cat antics surrender to his killer instincts on an unexpected island marooning? Will these animals find that the wild isn’t all it’s “cracked-a-lackin” up to be?
In this production, the light shines on costume, puppetry and choreography. In a playful and creative display, most of the animals are played by puppeteers, designed by Max Humphries, bringing to life the scheming rookery of penguins or the neurotic demeanor of Melman the giraffe. While still animated and pleasant, this production lacks the sparkle and transcendent reimagining that has come from more successful movie-to-musical creations like your Shrek or Legally Blonde.
The cast is a talented bunch. The two leads carry the show with opposing strengths: Antoine as Marty the zebra has the bravado while Matt Terry, 2016 X Factor winner, as Alex the lion has the impressive voice. His Alex is a little tamer than expected, but his falsetto is truly wild. Timmika Ramsay as Gloria the hippo is delightful, and the scene stealer of the night is Jo Parsons as King Julien, who really knows how to make a crowd of children (and adults) laugh.
Ultimately, Madagascar the Musical is light, upbeat and polished, an entertaining family night out for adults and kids.
Photo credit: Scott Rylander
October 3, 14:30, 19:00
October 4, 19:00
October 5, 19:00
October 6, 14:30, 19:00
3+