Madagascar The Musical

Although having said that the original 2005 DreamWorks Animation version of Madagascar was pre-children which we still watched and loved before moving on to introduce it to the little ones over 15 years later.

It's a timeless classic which leaves young and old laughing so we were all very excited to hear that Madagascar The Musical was touring the UK and making a stop off at Northampton's Royal and Derngate.

Armed with three boys aged seven to 11, we took our seats in the Derngate auditorium at which point I noticed that there were couples and groups of adults sitting and waiting to see the production so it's definitely not just one for the children.

The cast burst onto the stage in a colourful explosion of excitement and energy to get this 'crack-a-lackin' show off the ground.

Madagascar The Musical follows the exact same story as the film starring Alex the Lion, Marty the Zebra, Melman the Giraffe and Gloria the Hippo as they escape from their home in New York's Central Park Zoo.

The best friends have spent their whole lives in captivity being fed steak and admired by the public unil Marty makes a birthday wish to visit the wild and with the help of some cheeky penguins, the gang make their adventurous escape.

Anyone who has seen the film will recognise how spot on the voices of the cast are. Alex, Marty, Melman and Gloria dominate the stage in their amazing outfits, particularly the giraffe with his extendable neck. The penguin puppets and King Julien's lemurs are impressive with the cast working hard across the stage here, there and everywhere.

The stand-out for me of this dazzling show was my new favourite - King Julien - played by the incredibly talented Karim Zeroual who is a television presenter and theatre performer best known for anchoring CBBC and reaching the final of Strictly Come Dancing in 2019.

His smile lights up the stage, beaming out to the audience. It's clear he's loving it and everyone is cheering, clapping and admiring how he walks around the stage on his knees for so long.

The standout favourite for all three boys was Marty the Zebra (Francisco Gomes) with highlights including when he was shot in the bottom with an arrow which made them roar with laughter.

Everyone was on their feet singing and dancing to I Like To Move It Move It at the end of a feel good show which leaves you grinning from ear to ear.

Tickets are on sale for this co-production from Theatre Royal Plymouth and Selladoor Worldwide via the Madagascar The Musical website as the tour enters its final month.