Pig Of A Show!

If possible I like to see most of West Yorkshire Playhouse's productions but, quite frankly, this latest one was an absolute pig.

Babe the Sheep-Pig to be precise!

I was surrounded by hundreds of marauding youngsters, one of whom kicked the back of my seat for at least 45 minutes, but that's ok! Kids must be encouraged into the theatre when they're young if only to realise that there is more to life than an i-pad and the lounge sofa!

And it is only by viewing as many shows as you can - the good, the bad and the ugly (Babe the pig falls into the last category!) - that you begin to appreciate the breadth of artistic inclusion encouraged by a venue.

Based on Dick King-Smith's best-selling book, The Sheep-Pig, immortalised by the Academy Award winning movie, Babe, this latest production tells the story of the pig that wants to be a sheep dog, sorry sheep pig, if you see what I mean?

It is simple and, at less than two hours including interval, is perfect for the very young, thanks to its highly visual and colourful nature.

They say that comedians hardly ever, if at all, win Oscars because, somehow, their art form is devalued; could a performance ever be as worthy as Liam Neeson in Schindler's List? The judges think not.

And so it is with children's theatre.

I was a kids' magician and puppeteer for more than 20 years and, believe me, children are the most honest of audiences. If they don't like you they get up and walk away. If they do, they engage.

Last night hundreds of children helped Babe learn the mutton password so that he could enter the secret world of sheep and get them to do his bidding.

Emma, Nicola, Oliver, Claire, Ben, Jacqui, Lucy and Thomas, kept them all glued to their seats with a wonderfully colourful show and some great cameo performances, tied together, as always, with beautiful scenery, great costumes and singing.

Performing for children is hard work; I know! But this joint production by Polka Theatre, Limelight Productions and Tom O'Connell Productions is just the ticket for encouraging the next generation of theatre goers.



I often go to Bradford's Alhambra and comment how few Asian faces I see in a city where curries, saris and mosques abound. So, I must applaud the Playhouse for its breadth of inclusion - Whose Sari Now?, Laila the Musical and Dancing Bear as well as many mainstream shows.

Babe, for very different reasons, is a valuable addition to the repertoire, and it is nice to see that there is enough savvy among the artistic team to appreciate that the next generation is as important as those who would have Shakespeare every day of the week.

Babe is a great show for kids. They thought so.

At West Yorkshire Playhouse
Until Saturday Feb 18th 2017
Check for 2pm, 3pm & 7pm performances