Reviewed by Sarah Bryan
Little Baby Bum is an award-winning educational channel on YouTube and as a parent of two small children I was already familiar with the catchy nursery rhymes and bright videos featuring their characters Mia, Jacus and friends. So I was intrigued to see just how the transference from digital TV to stage would work.
Walking past the Little Baby Bum merchandise in the foyer as well as booster seats available to hire, there were lots of welcoming staff on hand to guide you and the venue itself was kept beautifully clean and tidy. I noticed plenty of snacks available to purchase at the bar that were suitable for children and Wycombe Swan is so easy to access being in the heart of the town and with a car park situated immediately next door.
There were two showings of Little Baby Bum Live on this date; 12 noon and 2pm and we went to the 2pm showing. They had sold around 200 tickets for this performance and the auditorium was unfortunately quite empty. This wasn’t an entirely accurate reflection of the quality of the show which was engaging, vibrant and had my 2-year-old daughter gripped throughout.
Entering the auditorium around 10 minutes before showtime, the stage was set and caught all the children’s attention “What’s that?”, “Who is going to come out?” and “Is it going to start now?”
The show bounded into action from the onset, the cast full of big smiles, bundles of energy and child appropriate language and silliness and I absolutely applaud the enthusiasm of the cast who were unwavering in their buoyancy and were superb at engaging the children.
It was very well put together and flowed seamlessly between the singing of a nursery rhyme and then the characters portraying another small section of the exciting story. It was just the right amount of time to prevent the kids from losing interest.
Of course many of the small children wanted to get up and dance – and this was encouraged – but there wasn’t really enough room for clumsy toddlers throwing themselves around in the rows and I can’t help feeling how much more successful this would have been if it was delivered in a different type of setting giving more space for free movement and participation, perhaps with a large standing area.
The props and set were fantastic and really captured the essence of colour and shape and the lighting used was very effective.
It was a bit disappointing and distracting to see a Dad sat infront of us looking at his phone the whole time, but this wasn’t challenged, and I just felt it was a shame as the show was focused in everyone getting involved. Us parents know that our kiddos will get much more from an experience if their grown-ups are enjoying it too. At the beginning of the show, the characters welcome the taking of photographs and perhaps that’s the time to mention politely about giving your attention to those small folk you’ve brought to the theatre.
The price of a ticket is £16 which is possibly slightly steep and may have added to the low number of ticket sales along with the time of day. My daughter missed nap time and you could see and hear other little ones were tired. A morning show would work much better and of course not impact on school home time for those with older children.
I wasn’t sure what to expect from Little Baby Bum Live but the mix of acting, puppetry, song, dance and screen meant that this transition was a success. My 2-year-old shouted “More!” as the Little Baby Bum bus sailed off from the parade…
Rating: 3.5/5
Little Baby Bum Live is currently on tour around the UK, for more information and tour dates visit www.littlebabybumlive.com.
For other shows at the Wycombe Swan visit www.wycombeswan.co.uk or call the box office on 01494 512 000.
Wycombe Swan, St. Mary Street, High Wycombe, HP11 2XE | 01494 512 000
