Review: Learning about space at The Star Seekers preview

‘You have Neptune! Lucky you!’

On Friday I felt like a very enthusiastic parent introducing my three-year-old to the different planets in the solar system and learning about concepts, such as gravity. We had been invited to a preview of The Star Seekers–a family show opening in the National Theatre’s Dorfman Theatre this August–and during a song about the planets, Big Boy became the lucky recipient of a blue ball, a prop representing Neptune.

The interactive show had me laughing several times, and going to the preview made for a brilliant afternoon out for both Big Boy and me. The show tells the story about star seekers Alph, Betty and Gammo, who are trying to save their space station by collecting three orbs in space, and they need the help of all the star seekers in the audience to complete the task.

While watching the funny actors take us on a journey through space, we took part in an Astro orbit shower by throwing what looked like crunched up newspaper on them, and for the majority of the performance, we held on tightly to the blue Neptune ball as if it had been the toy of the year.

We were also invited to sing along to the catchy planet song, and when this educational song came on for a second time, even I was tempted to join in.

In addition to singing, there were plenty of opportunities for children to come up with ideas for what The Star Seekers might want to bring to space or what they could see, and I was impressed with how the actors improvised, creating funny rhymes and songs to incorporate suggestions from children in the audience.

The Star Seekers, a production by the Wardrobe Ensemble, is set to be a fun and lively show for families to enjoy in London over the summer. It will be playing in the Dorfman Theatre at National Theatre from 8 August to 1 September, and it is recommended for ages 3 to 8 years. The running time is around 50 minutes.

Photos by Ellie Kurttz

Tags: Children's theatre, London, National Theatre, Summer, The Star Seekers