REVIEW: We're Going On A Bear Hunt At Duchess Theatre

Photograph: Marilyn Kingwell

Excitement bubbled around the Duchess Theatre as the young audience prepared to go off in search of a bear. The show begins as the Dad, played by Duncan Foster, his two children Gareth Warren and Victoria Andrews, the family dog, Bob Karper, and of course the baby, a beautiful puppet, enter through the audience. The production treats the brilliant Michael Rosen story as if it is a great game, the original poem is preserved with just the occasional ad lib. The various landscapes are created through clever use of household or classroom objects, there are paper butterflies, giant plastic grass and buckets of water for the river.

The music, composed by Benji Bower, is fantastic and very catchy. An array of percussive instruments are used throughout to very good effect mostly played by Karper as the family progress on their journey, some splendid choreography accompanies the songs too.

The production is joyously messy, really capturing the fun of childhood, as the cast and younger members of the audience revel in the buckets of water and poster paint. No doubt adults in the audience will be pleased that the children clean up their mess after each obstacle on their journey to reach the bear.