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Jenanne Redman (Mummy), Abbey Norman (Sophie), and Alan Atkins (Tiger). (Alastair Muir)
Sophie and her Mum are sitting in their cosy kitchen, for their customary 4 o’clock tea when they have a very unusual surprise visitor…
If you ever have a tiger who wants to come to tea, think twice, as he may well eat you out of house and home. This might be the moral that those of a misanthropic, or less hospitable nature draw from this play.
But you can’t help but be charmed by this tiger, despite everything. In fact the tiger is a genuine joy to watch. Children are enthralled by him, and he’s just on the right side of being too scary to watch. His dancing and gestures are surprisingly funny and endearing, and when he’s onstage, the shrieks and whoops of enjoyment from children go up several decibels, all round. At the points when the tiger is on stage, adults and small children are equally entertained.
Based on the best-selling picture book by Judith Kerr, this adaptation is remarkably faithful. The meal that Sophie and her parents eat at the end and which they have a song about is the same as what they eat in the book. The play also includes counting and singing to keep little children happy and to stop their attention getting diverted. This is a delightful, one hour play and it’s nice for a show to be geared towards children outside the Christmas panto season.
Lyric Theatre
Shaftesbury Avenue, London W1D 7ES
Box office: 0844 412 4661
www.thetigerwhocametotealive.com
Mastoor Khan is a writer living in London, UK.
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