BWW Reviews: THE THREE LITTLE PIGS, Palace Theatre, August 6 2015

I was invited to the exciting West End launch of Stiles and Drewe's latest, The Three Little Pigs - but as customary when I'm reviewing shows that are primarily aimed at a younger audience, I'll emphasise that what I thought about it doesn't really matter. The voice to listen to here is that of my four-year-old nephew, who was my guest for the afternoon, and whose opinion matters much more.

And he was enthralled the entire way through (although I should point out the Palace Theatre's seats are not great for small children - he couldn't sit in his chair properly because it simply tipped up due to him not being heavy enough to hold it down, and could only perch on the end, so ended up sitting on my lap for the whole show). When it got to the finale, he was on his feet, dancing along, copying the cute choreography performed neatly by the cast.

The clever thing about the show is it's appealing to the little ones, using catchy tunes and a familiar story to engage them, but it's also good for the older kids, with some smart gags (and even a couple of risque ones for the grown-ups).

The cast, of course, are as fabulous as one would expect with Olivier winners and nominees among the line-up of West End names. Simon Webbe deftly avoids pantomime as the Big Bad Wolf, and it's wonderful to see Alison Jiear get a chance to show off her vocals as Mummy Pig. The titular trio, played by Leanne Jones, Daniel Buckley and Taofique Folarin are adorable - and extra credit to them for keeping up with their dance routines with such gigantic costumes.

With The Commitments still in situ at the Palace, the sets are simple - and again, it's a small thing, but for littl'uns who are just learning to read, the "construction site" signs popping up were rather distracting.

I asked my nephew at the end what his favourite bit of the show was. He thought carefully before replying, "All of it."

And then he added: "And the bit where the three little pigs wiggled their bums." This show is, self-evidently, spot-on.

The Three Little Pigs runs at the Palace Theatre this summer.

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