The penguins have itchy feet and a strong sense of taking control of their destiny. Marty the monochromatic zebra also wishes he had been born free rather than living in Central Park Zoo. Their separate escape bids conveniently overlap. Marty’s disappearance causes some of his more institutionalised friends to abandon the safety of the zoo to search for him in the outside world. Soon a hypochondriac giraffe Melman, Gloria the confident hippo and Alex the alpha male lion with delusions of grandeur are out on the prowl, well outside their comfort zones and heading away on an adventure.
Fans of the animated film Madagascar were bopping along to I Like To Move It in the Grand Opera House last night in the live stage musical adaptation of the Dreamworks animation. Kevin Del Aguila’s book keeps recognisable dialogue from the movie, though quite a lot of the jokes didn’t land with the Belfast audience.
Some of the characters are in costume, others – like the penguins and most of the lemurs – are brought to life by puppeteers. The four penguins are a particular success, each with its own mannerisms and waddle.
Madagascar is a story about friendship and belonging, about dreaming of a better life and having the ambition to go out and claim it. Jarnéia Richard-Noel’s vocals give Gloria real soul. Not for a moment does Joshua Oakes-Rogers drop out of character playing long-necked Melman.
Act one is over in a flash. But the first ten minutes after the interval are dialogue heavy and strangely soulless. Then the energy returns with the appearance of King Julien and a sea chanty from the resourceful penguins who have travelled too far south. Exploring Madagascar, Marty thinks he’s in paradise. Alex thinks Marty is a tasty snack. Awkward. Order is restoring after a spot of othering and then it’s time for bows and an encore of I Like To Move It.
Madagascar The Musical is short and sweet (one hour 45 minutes including the interval). It’s stays true to the movie, aims the best gags at the adults, and seemed to enthral the children sitting near me. However, it has none of the depth or wittiness of DreamWorks stablemate
Shrek. This touring production is
performing in the Grand Opera House until Saturday 9 March.
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