Milkshake! Live, Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury - review
We’ve all heard the well-worn cliché of little girls dreaming of becoming princesses.
But what of the boys? Where do those handsome princes come from to make the ladies’ dreams come true?
In this tale straight from the land of fairytales and make believe, Milkshake Monkey learned all he needed to know to become a prince – with a bit of help from the stars of Channel 5’s Milkshake! along the way.
He had to show qualities such as kindness and generosity at different stages of the story to earn his place as the Prince of the Magical Bookcase.
The stage show, fronted by Milkshake! presenters Olivia Birchenough and David Ribi, sees characters such as Noddy, Shimmer and Shine and Fireman Sam appear before children’s eyes.
The magic to this tale started straight away – a Fairy Godmother said a spell to make a magic story book appear and the cast were transformed into the roles of Cinderella, with Olivia as Cinderella and David as Buttons.
Audience members were encouraged to join in with songs while games were played out on stage to keep the youngsters hooked.
The Little Princess encouraged the kids to tidy up with the help of a game during Cinderella, and when the tale moved to the story of Dick Whittington Fireman Sam appeared to rescue Alice from a drainpipe.
Other classic stories visited during the show included Hansel and Gretel, Jack and the Beanstalk – complete with a giant beanstalk – Aladdin and Peter Pan.
There were hiccups along the way – the Magic Story Book disappeared when the giant beanstalk grew on top of it, leading to a cliffhanger start to the second half.
Bob the Builder and Wissper were among those to lend a helping hand during the second half before the finale.
Despite not quite finishing his journey in time, due to the princely qualities he had shown Milkshake Monkey was named the Prince of the Magical Bookcase by the Fairy Godmother. All’s well that ends well.
The show is fast moving and keeps the youngsters engaged and entertained with twists in the plot and drama to keep them interested. The audience is encouraged to participate on regular occasions and the presenters Olivia and David are full of energy and smiles.
If you missed it, the nationwide tour will visit Warrington’s Parr Hall on July 27, Wolverhampton Grand Theatre on September 23, Stafford Gatehouse Theatre on October 26 and Aberystwyth Arts Centre on October 31.
