Horrid Henry

Horrid Henry is a name we hear a lot in my house - my two kids (boy aged 7 and girl aged 9) love it and we've got all the DVDs plus the tee-shirt! So imagine my delight when I heard that we could spend two hours in the theatre with him too! Well, it was one of the best two hours I've spent watching a show with my kids - from the beginnning, when Henry bounces onto the stage (after arguing with his Mum and Perfect Peter, of course) the show runs like a rollercoaster - lots of songs, dancing, and enough in there to keep a grown up happy too. Some of the lines had me howling with laughter, especially when Mum and Dad are creeping home, late for the babysitter (sound familiar?) and when Dad gives Mum a washing machine as a birthday present. But it was the kids who really had the best time - the show is based on the idea of when and if Henry becomes King, but it cleverly weaves in stories that the kids already know from the TV series and from the books - Football Fiend, Dance Class and Time Machine, to name but a few. The actors gave it their all, one of them taking his role as noisy dog to another level, and the end of the show sees the legendary Killer Boy Rats appearing, for one night only, singing a track that's guaranteed to get the grown ups clapping, at the very least. The kids of course are up on their feet long before then - the characters and songs are very faithful to the TV show, but the show isn't just a transfer from screen to stage - the show really works on its own basis, and the first question my kids asked me was 'when can we see it again?'. That's when I realised how good it had been, because I actually agreed that we could go again!

Bibi Darboe, Birmingham