Review: Shoe Baby, Little Angel Theatre

Little Angel Theatre‘s annual Children’s Puppet Festival has hit the ground in running shoes, in the form of a really lovely production for pre-schoolers and their families, Shoe Baby.

This delightful musical production by Long Nose Puppets is adapted from the popular picture book written by Joyce Dunbar. It’s a charmingly fantastical show telling the tale of a baby who has learned to say “How do you do?” He sets off in a shoe to explore the world and together we follow him on his adventures to multiple locations – out to sea, off to the zoo, and up in the air, meeting some interesting characters on the way.

There’s a comfortable, easy-going and really feel-good vibe to the show, which is beautifully fanciful from the start, introduced by a selection of singing shoes and boots. The design is joyfully old school with a colourful hand-crafted set aesthetic that invites imagination and creative possibility. There’s also an appealing variety of puppets, from gloves to rod to skin suits, all at different scales. We meet giraffes, an octopus, some friendly giants and even the backdrop is brought to life, animated by singing birds.

This adaptation really captures the story comprehensively, not attempting to rewrite it but embellishing and making it wonderfully larger than life. At moments it’s absolutely enchanting, such as when starlight covers the smiling faces in the audience and there’s an audible intake of breath from the tiny spectators. The performance works perfectly alongside the natural rhythms of Dunbar’s rhyming tale, which has a measured pace that is beautifully engaging, and creates individual segments that are perfectly bite sized to keep a toddler’s attention.

The children become highly invested in the character of the baby who is fun and friendly, greeting characters and singing as he goes. There were genuine squeals of delight at moments where he disappears then unexpectedly pops up, to the joy of the surprised audience. The giant parents are equally welcoming, and in their searches for a second shoe and a missing baby invite the audience to join in with some welcomed panto-esque calling out. Throughout the show there are also plenty of opportunities for clapping and singing along.

A highlight is undoubtedly the wonderful music by Tom Gray of the award winning band Gomez. It is thoroughly toe-tapping, bringing a buoyant range of atmospheres to the shifting storyline, and is entirely memorable: I for one was humming “How Do You Do?” all the way home.

With a perfect 30 minute running time this is a really enjoyable theatrical outing for little ones and their grown ups. There might even be a chance to meet some puppets outside the theatre afterwards, so don’t miss that!

Based on the book by: Joyce Dunbar
Music by: Tom Gray
Produced by: Long Nose Puppets

Shoe Baby is aimed at ages 2-5 and plays until Sunday 10 August. as part of the Little Angel Children’s Puppet Festival which runs until Sunday 31 August.