Review: The Very Hungry Caterpillar Show for a first West End experience for kids

On Sunday morning the group gathering outside Ambassadors Theatre was not the usual West End crowd. Many of the excited theatre-goers were most probably getting ready for their very first West End experience.

I was there with 17-month-old Baby Boy and four-year-old Big Girl, ready to review The Very Hungry Caterpillar Show, which arrived in London last week. The show is now playing at Ambassadors Theatre until 7 January, featuring four Eric Carle’s stories in a 60-minute production with 75 puppets.

It starts with The Artist Who Painted a Blue Horse, which I think was best for the youngest audience members. We were all impressed with the large and colourful animal puppets in the story–probably some of the most amazing puppets I’ve seen–and I was thrilled I’d brought Baby Boy along to this, as this was spot on for introducing toddlers to the world of theatre.

The show then continues with Mister Seahorse, which tells a sweet story about the Seahorse looking after the eggs and meeting other sea creatures while swimming around in the sea. This story was more suited to both children, who liked the sugary coloured props and fun sea creature puppets.

We also loved The Very Lonely Firefly, a story I wasn’t familiar with from before, which was beautifully presented on stage with the use of lights and puppets. The highlight was still the last 15 minutes, however, when The Very Hungry Caterpillar arrived on stage and had the audience counting out loud, pointing and cheering.

The production, created by Jonathan Rockefeller, is a wonderful show for the very youngest theatre-goers. The large and colourful puppets will delight toddlers and preschoolers, and the fact that the show covers four stories in one hour makes it varied and entertaining.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar Show brings classic picture books to life with first-class puppets in a production that offers little ones a fun introduction to West End.

Tags: Ambassadors Theatre, Children's theatre, London, Review, The Very Hungry Caterpillar Show, West End