Review: Oi Frog & Friends at Rose Theatre for a rhyming spectacle

On Wednesday morning I tried a different type of ball game. We were trying to catch giant inflatable balls soaring above the audience in Rose Theatre in Kingston.

We had been invited to review Oi Frog and Friends, a play based on the funny children’s books Oi Frog! Oi Cat! and Oi Dog! by Kes Gray and Jim Field, published by the Hachette Children’s Group, and the balls moving around were one of the parts in the show that made us smile.

While the first book Oi Frog! sees cat explaining the rhyming rules of what different animals sit on, the stage show Oi Frog and Friends, presented by Kenny Wax Family Entertainment, is set at Sittingbottom School where frog is looking for a place to sit. At the school, it is cat who’s in charge, and she explains the rules and ensures all the animals know where they are allowed to sit. When a cheerful dog turns up to class and sits on frog, frog gets squashed and develops post-traumatic rhyming disorder–PTRD. He thinks of new rhymes, and much to cat’s frustration, creates chaos in Sittingbottom School.

In my view, the show is ideal for explaining rhyming, pouring out examples of words with endings that rhyme, which makes for a good lesson in rhyming. The other highlights include the charming puppetry, such as frog himself, which is recognisable from the books. There are also some feel-good moments, with a cheetah fajita song transporting us right back to a Caribbean holiday, for example.

The audience interaction will also appeal to children, and at one point we were up on our feet trying to participate in a unique rhyming version of musical statues, where tiles on the stage were opened to reveal potential rhymes. It seemed like a fun concept, but I struggled to follow, as it all went too fast for us to see the rhyme.

For a young audience, I also felt a part of the show about cat’s earlier life as a stunt cat could have been tough to understand, as it is based around the ancient proverb that cats have nine lives.

Oi Frog & Friends still ended on a high with giggle-worthy rhymes like ‘elephants sit on smelly pants’ and a brave member of the audience agreeing to dress up as Dolly the duck-billed platypus, a character from the Oi Duck-billed Platypus! book in the series.

With the huge success of the books, this show will be ideal for children who are familiar with the titles and can recognise many of the fun rhymes – and perhaps then easily get into the storyline and enjoy the lesson in rhyming.

Oi Frog & Friends is recommended for ages 3 and over, and is playing at Rose Theatre until 3 November. The show will be at Lyric Theatre for a Christmas run, starting on 29 November.

Photos from rehearsals by Pamela Raith Photography

Tags: Children's theatre, Lyric Theatre, Oi Frog and Friends, Review, Rose Theatre, Stage show, What's on stage