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Daniel’s first theatre trip

13th April 2015      Sarah Burns      6 Comments

I love the theatre; there really is something special about it and I am lucky that living in Manchester means that there are a good number of wonderful shows that come here. On Easter Saturday I saw the Kings Speech and on Friday last week, it was time for Daniel’s first theatre trip and the show I chose for him was Room on the Broom.

I wasn’t too sure how Daniel would react but as I know the Lowry theatre quite well I knew it was being performed in the smaller theatre there so it shouldn’t overwhelm him too much. Room on the Broom is a book we have read time and time again, so much so that I can recite it from memory now! The weather was lovely on Friday so we headed over to Salford for lunchtime and got a bite to eat in the Lowry shopping centre. As it was a really lovely day we had a short wander around then Daniel and I headed in. We had a walk around and talked about the show we were going to see – I’m not sure he quite understood though!

lunch

We took our seats early as he was pretty tired so I explained to him about the stage we could see and what would happen. I haven’t been to a show aimed at children before but I was really impressed with how this one started. The four actors came out onto the stage having a chat and it took a moment or two for the audience to realise they were on stage. Eventually as the audience realised it started to quieten down. Daniel was a bit unsure what was going on but was watching with interest. The cast then had a game of hide and seek around the theatre, much to the hilarity of some of the older children. Then… this is where things went a bit wrong for us!

waiting for the show to start
waiting for the show to start

The cast were going to sleep, and this meant that the lights went down, the doors to the theatre closed and one of the cast started snoring. Loudly. Daniel immediately burst into tears and was clinging to me and pointing to the doors. Thankfully we were on the end of the row, and, as luck would have it, were directly opposite the doors.

It became clear I wasn’t going to calm Daniel down so as I was keen to not disrupt those around us we went outside. I have to say the staff on hand were brilliant. One gentleman in particular was superb with us, putting me at ease and reminding me that the theatre can be quite an overwhelming experience and not to worry. I managed to get Daniel calmer and he agreed to go back in. The main part of the show had started at this point, so I was explaining things to Daniel so he understood that story we were watching.

We sat back in our seats but Daniel started to cry again so we watched the rest of the show stood up at the edge of the theatre with close access to the doors. He did eventually calm down enough to watch and, I think, enjoy the show. His favourite character was the Frog as we actually got a giggle from him when he started to dance and jump around.

The show was around an hour long and it was brilliant. Just the right length I think for this age group. Daniel is just under 2.5 years old, and the show is aimed from age three. For Daniel the theatre trip came at the wrong time as he was really, really tired on Friday after a busy week following Easter and I don’t think this helped when he got slightly upset and overwhelmed by it all.

seatsThe cast and puppets are superb and the story is told well. Most parents will be familiar with the wonderful work of Julia Donaldson and Room on the Broom transferred really well on to the stage – much better than I imagined it would. The story is told by just four amazing actors who use puppets, songs and different voices to bring it all to life. There are lots of different jokes to keep children and adults entertained. The songs are excellent and very catchy and I have been singing the final song time and time again this weekend. Daniel even joins in dancing with me too.

I saw Room on the Broom at the Lowry Theatre in Salford and I have to say the staff were brilliant. All were friendly and talked to Daniel at his level and did their best to put him at ease, despite him being clearly upset. The theatre itself is always spotless and the sound, lighting etc is perfect. Another of our favourite books, Stick Man, is on next month and I am thinking of getting tickets to that for him too.

Take a look at the Room on The Broom website to see if there is a show near you. It really is worth a visit.

LarabeeUK

 

 

 

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About Sarah Burns

I am Sarah, home educating mum of three (born 2012, 2014 and 2016)

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Comments

  1. acornishmum says

    13th April 2015 at 08:39

    Oh bless him! Hopefully he’ll find it easier next time.
    Stevie x

    Reply
  2. sebsmummy says

    13th April 2015 at 15:38

    Awww! THE first time I took Seb to the theatre he only managed half the performance before deciding he wanted to get up and walk around its hard when they are small. I took him again last summer (at 3.5) and he sat and watched the whole thing perfectly. I wouldn’t brave taking Alex yet he would not sit still for 2 minutes!

    Reply
  3. beamfrost says

    14th April 2015 at 20:19

    Awwww. Sounds like a great experience for D even if he had to watch from the sidelines.

    Reply
  4. Tony Burns says

    15th April 2015 at 06:36

    all in all it will have been a good experience for him Im sure

    Reply
  5. larabeeuk says

    26th April 2015 at 23:06

    Aw poor Daniel, I’m glad he enjoyed his first theatre trip in the end.

    So pleased you had sympathetic staff on hand to give you some support, and very thoughtful of you, I’m sure some parents wouldn’t have been so considerate.

    Sorry my comments are so late this week, thanks for linking #toddlerapprovedtuesday xx

    Reply
    • Sarah Doyle says

      28th April 2015 at 07:35

      thank you – having sympathetic staff certainly did help!

      Reply

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Hello and welcome to my little corner of the internet. I'm Sarah, mum to three children (Oct 2012, Feb 2014 & June 2016). We are a home educating family based in Greater Manchester. Here I share about our Home Ed journey, days out, books and activities and well as my quest to stay sane by running and hitting the gym!

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