What The Ladybird Heard Live Review

As my previous blog post mentions I was quite excited for this one!
Z has read the story many times, and even though he doesn’t speak I’m sure he’s taking in a lot more than I’ll ever give him credit for. I’ve been telling everyone our plans for this week, obviously saying the theatre for What The Ladybird Heard! This week he’s been ‘reading’ his book, I say reading as I’m sure he is in his head!

All ready, we were a little earlier so my plan was grab the tickets * and maybe head to get him a doughnut, Z knew where he was going, and would not leave the theatre! He was dragging me upstairs, at one point I carried him outside but he was on the floor screaming so we went back in!
obviously being early we had a little wait. A cry, a throw myself on the floor attempting to get to the door and a packet a crisps later all was well!

We were greeted to a farm!
I loved the fact that it looks so basic but keeping within the colour scheme of the book. Reading the program later Lydia Monks was actually involved in the development!
With Emma Breton, the farmer, Emma Carroll as Lilly / Ladybird, Benedict Hastings and Lanky Len and Edward Way as Hefty Hugh it was a fun packed hour.
With the show running slightly late, half way through we’d ran out of crisps to keep Z still!! The first fifteen minutes or so, where the actors were getting the audience involved with animal sounds and making the animals, which were pretty impressive! did seem to go a little slow, but they even managed to get a reference to the Gruffalo in! Guessing that was wasted on the children! I know the show was aimed at 3 plus, but feel maybe it was for a little older with the audience participation, unless that’s just because of Z and his needs. E is 4 she could join in and enjoyed herself even though she had never read the story. When asked at the end did you enjoy it? She replied yes, and her favourite part was the Ladybird!

I enjoyed the way they sang (to me) the main part of the story, ‘The horse went neigh…..’ the singing always got Z’s attention and he would look and smile straight away. The other children seemed to like looking for the Ladybird!

With the use of such simple, colourful looking props I thought they made the story come alive, it was told well and if you hadn’t read the book you’d know the story from the show. With the cow and the cats singing and talking added that little bit more fun into it I thought. Using certain lines from the book Z knew what he was watching as he would smile to himself even trying to copy at one point!
What The Ladybird Heard Live is on an international tour, it’s on at New Theatre Cardiff until 25th of February before it moves on and you can buy tickets here .
I was gifted my tickets in exchange for a review all opinions are my own.