Review: Peppa Pig’s Surprise for a cracking show for young families

‘My tights got wet!’

Three-year-old Big Girl was smiling and laughing as we walked around Covent Garden yesterday, chatting about the new Peppa Pig Live show we’d just been to see. It was our first day back in London, and seeing the clever production we had been invited to reminded me of why I love living here.

Peppa Pig is back on West End this year with a new show Peppa Pig’s Surprise, featuring larger puppets than the first show,Peppa Pig’s Big Splash. Mummy and Daddy Pig are now giant-sized puppets, and Peppa and friends are large enough for actors to duck down and hide behind them when possible.

The show tells the story of charming Peppa Pig and George playing with friends when they hear Mummy and Daddy Pig have a surprise for them. At bedtime, the parents reveal the surprise is a trip to the seaside the next day, and when they get there all their friends arrive at the beach too.

Peppa Pig’s Surprise includes all the ingredients that make for a cracking theatre experience for young children-audience interaction, singing, dancing and special effects. There’s plenty of audience interaction from the get-go, and Big Girl kept joining in, shouting out answers when Peppa’s friend Daisy asked the audience if they could see Peppa, help with a game of ‘I spy ‘and more.

The show also features bubbles, smoke and catching songs, and at one point I could hear myself singing the Bing Bong song.

The surprise of the show for me was still George’s wet tears. Daddy T and I were both laughing out loud when George’s tears hit the people on the rows in front of us, and when we later were in the firing zone when Peppa and friends were jumping in muddy puddles and the water reached our row in the stalls we were all giggling.

Big Girl was excited to get a bit wet too, and we were thrilled to see even six-month-old Baby Boy following the action-packed show with interest.

Peppa Pig’s Surprise is an entertaining and cleverly produced new Peppa Pig show fit for a young West End audience.

We were seated in the eight row in the stalls, and enjoyed the water effects in the first half of the show. There was only a little bit of water, which meant it was fun as opposed to being annoying. Peppa Pig’s Surprise is playing at Duke of York’s Theatre on West End until Sunday 17 January

Images by Dan Tsantilis from Peppa Pig’s Suprise! tour 2015 & 2016

Tags: Children's theatre, Duke of York's Theatre, London, Peppa Pig, Peppa Pig Live, Puppets, West End