Review: HEY DUGGEE, King's Theatre, Glasgow

Hey Duggee Live is a brand new stage show adapted from the hit tv show created by Grant Orchard. Hey Duggee Live is directed by Matthew Xia and co-adapted by Matthew Xia and Vikki Stone who is also the musical supervisor for the production.

Hey Duggee centres around the Clubhouse, a sort of scout-like headquarters for all kinds of characters. They complete tasks in order to earn badges. Each television episode runs at just seven minutes so there have been some tweaks to create an hour-long piece. 

The clubhouse attendees are known as 'squirrels' and the audience get to immerse themselves in the squirrel experience. Upon entry to the theatre, you are handed a flyer with stickers on them which you can earn along with the characters onstage. Some little squirrels have more restraint than others when it comes to applying their stickers. 

The overarching plot line is that the squirrels are going to put on a show and they need to master of all the elements that go into a theatrical production. Badges include singing, dancing and costumes. It's a highly interactive show that keeps the young audience engaged throughout. The production values on Hey Duggee Live are what you would expect to see in a big West End musical and is seriously impressive to the adults as well.

There's a wealth of talent onstage, particularly with Benedict Hastings (Narrator/Duggee) and Lunga Anele-Skosana (Chew Chew/Chipo/Boris/Hennie). All of the characters are operated by skilled puppeteers and you very quickly get lost in just watching the puppets. 

Like waiting for Cher to sing "Believe" to close a show, everyone's waiting for "The Stick Song". It's easy to see why this is a much-loved song in the Hey Duggee universe- it's an absolute banger. 

With just the right runtime to stop the wee ones from getting restless and a format that allows everyone to get involved, this is a fantastic introduction to theatre for squirrels and their guardians. 

Scottish dates for Hey Duggee Live:

• King's Theatre, Glasgow, Thu 25 to Sat 27 May
• His Majesty's Theatre, Aberdeen, Wed 5 to Thu 6 July
• Eden Court, Inverness, Sat 8 to Sun 9 July
• Alhambra Theatre, Dunfermline, Wed 27 to Thu 27 July

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