Yesterday, we were invited to watch an exclusive musical show – Emily Brown and the Thing at the Birmingham Hippodrome’s Patrick Studio. This musical show is based on the much-loved book by Cressida Cowell (author of How to Train your Dragon) and Neal Layton. This delightful family-friendly show is brought to you by Tall Stories theatre company and is the perfect treat for all the family until the 6th January 2019! Catch the show here during this festive season before it transfers to New York and embarks on a North American tour in 2019.
The story revolves around Emily Brown and her old grey rabbit Stanley as they hear a Thing cry outside their window. The Thing just can’t get to sleep for many reasons. In order to get a good nights sleep, Emily Brown and Stanley set off on incredible adventures to the Dark and Scary Wood, the Whirling Wastes and beyond, to find the Thing’s cuddly, his bedtime milk and his medicine but nothing seems to help him settle.
Personally, we had not read this book before and were pretty much clueless about the storyline, except that it was about Emily, Stanley and The Thing! No worries though, it’s very easy to follow for anyone who isn’t familiar with the story. The performance lasts for approximately 55 minutes with no interval.
Birmingham Hippodrome is a very modern and clean theatre that houses the Main House and Patrick Studio. There are bars, a restaurant and plenty of restrooms. It is very easy to find as it is located in Chinatown, where we always go for Asian food!
We were in the Patrick Studio which is in a relatively small stage, but they have some fantastic props and the storyline just flows along beautifully! I love their catchy music which works beautifully with the story. It was a very enjoyable show, packed full of song, dance and energy and we all loved it.
We think this is a great show to watch for families with young children, especially with the music, the energy levels from the actors and actress and the whole excitement which ran throughout the show.
Disclosure: We received family tickets for the purposes of writing this review, however, all thoughts and opinions remain our own. Images used with permission.
