Review: Room on the Broom brings picture book classic to life with catchy tunes and puppetry

‘The cat went in the mud at the end!’

It has been more than a week since we went to review Room on the Broom at Lyric Theatre in the West End, but three-year-old Big Boy is still talking about the fact that there was a cat that got muddy in this one-hour stage adaptation of Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler’s picture book classic Room on the Broom.

The Olivier Award nominated musical adaptation by Tall Stories–the theatre company behind The Gruffalo Live–tells the story of the kind-hearted witch and her cat who meet a bird, a dog and a frog that all want to travel with them on the magic broom. The friendly witch is welcoming and generous, offering her new acquaintances an opportunity to take to the skies with them. Along the way, the group face a fearsome dragon, get muddy – and cook up some magic that is sure to keep little ones excited.

We were surprised by the country-western singing dog, and we carried on humming along to some of the songs from the production all the way home. Room on the Broom is another example of Tall Stories’ ability to bring a classic picture books to life in a stage show that is sure to please young audiences who enjoy their engaging and colourful shows, charming puppetry and catchy tunes.

After the show, we had been invited to a press tea party, where Big Boy got to meet the energetic four-person cast from Room on the Broom. Another fun morning out this festive season!

Room on the Broom, recommended for children aged 3 and over, will be playing at Lyric Theatre until 13 January. Running time is around 60 minutes.

Tags: Christmas 2018, Julia Donaldson, Lyric Theatre, Room on the Broom, Tall Stories, West End