Madagascar The Musical

Musical based on the smash hit DreamWorks animated motion picture

May 1, 2019
A fun journey from screen to stage

When I heard that Madagascar the Musical was coming to town, I just knew I had to see it for myself. I am already a big fan of the animated film, and I was interested to see how they could make it into a stage production - and a musical stage production at that.

As I entered the Oxford New theatre, it was teeming with parents and their children. It was then I began to suspect that perhaps this production was not really adapted for 30-year-old women. However, as soon as the curtain came up and the cast came on, I knew I was definitely in the right place!

The show started off with an upbeat song introducing the main characters: Marty the Zebra, Alex the Lion, Gloria the Hippo and Melman the hilarious Giraffe, in the New York Zoo. The most impressive things for me at this point were the animal costumes and puppets. They were extremely accurate, along with the set, which looked as though it was straight out of the film. The voice work of the cast was also excellent. They had the American accents down to a T, along with the nuances of each film character's voice - especially Antoine Murray-Straughan, as Marty, who did a fabulous Chris Rock impression throughout!

The cast is full of extremely talented singers and dancers. However, the standout performance of the night was X-Factor winner Matt Terry, who plays Alex. His voice is incredible and he really did add something very special to the show.

I was enjoying the production so much that I was surprised when the first half finished. The show is short; each half was 40-45 minutes, but I’m sure this is mainly because there were so many children in attendance.

The musical generally follows the story of the first film, and is full of gags and songs that the adults and children enjoyed alike. The set changes for each scene were seamless and didn’t distract from the story at all.

One of my favourite parts of the show was when they stumble across the Lemurs on the Island of Madagascar. King Julien, played by Jo Parsons, was very funny and energetic. He managed to get everybody on their feet dancing to his rendition of I Like To Move It, Move It! and was a big hit with the audience. It is quite difficult to carry off a Sacha Baron Cohen character well, yet he definitely managed to do it justice!

Overall, Madagascar the Musical was great. It really is a fantastic night out for all of the family to enjoy due to the fact that it is very entertaining - full of laughs, good songs and dancing - and was finished by 8.45pm. I would definitely recommend the show, which is here in Oxford until 4th May 2019. You will not be disappointed!

The organiser says:

Madagascar – The Musical has confirmed that X Factor Winner Matt Terry will continue in the role of Alex the Lion on the critically acclaimed UK tour for 2019, which will be landing in Oxford on 30th April.

Since winning X-Factor, Matt has been non-stop. He’s been recording music all over the world including Miami, LA and Scandinavia. After a top-3 hit with Ed Sheeran-penned winner’s single When Christmas Comes Around, he released his debut album ‘Trouble’ in November 2017. His first single from the album, Sucker For You has had nearly 60 million streams on Spotify. After Sucker For You, Matt went back to his Spanish childhood by featuring on Enrique Iglesias’s smash single, Subeme La Radio alongside Sean Paul.Matt’s role in Madagascar has been hailed as a triumphant debut theatre performance, receiving 5 star reviews across the tour.

Matt said: “I’m having such an amazing time touring in Madagascar the Musical, the audiences have been fantastic and I’m so excited to be staying with the company to tour into 2019.

“The show brings together everything you will know and love from the Dreamworks film, with an immense score and amazing sets, costumes and puppets.It’s an awesome night out for the whole family and I hope to see you there!”

Cast including Jo Parsons, Brandon Gale, Antoine Murray-Straughan, Timmika Ramsay, Jamie Lee-Morgan, Shane McDaid, Laura Johnson, Jessica Niles, Victoria Boden, Matthew Pennington and Darren John will also continue into the 2019 tour.

Based on the smash DreamWorks animated motion picture, Madagascar – The Musical follows all of your favourite crack-a-lackin’ friends as they escape from their home in New York’s Central Park Zoo and find themselves on an unexpected journey to the madcap world of King Julien’s Madagascar.

Alex the lion is the king of the urban jungle, the main attraction at New York's Central Park Zoo. He and his best friends – Marty the zebra, Melman the giraffe and Gloria the hippo – have spent their whole lives in blissful captivity before an admiring public and with regular meals provided for them. Not content to leave well enough alone, Marty lets his curiosity get the better of him and makes his escape – with the help of some prodigious penguins – to explore the world.

This wacky adventure for the whole family is brought to life by Selladoor Family, the producers behind James And The Giant Peach, Seussical and The Owl And The Pussycat and Hartshorn – Hook, producers of the Olivier Award winning Rotterdam, Murder Ballad, Urinetown and American Idiot. Madagascar – The Musical is directed by award-winning Kirk Jameson, with choreography from Fabian Aloise. Designed by Tom Rogers, with Lighting Design by Howard Hudson, Sound Design by Chris Whybrow, Musical Supervision from Mark Crossland, Puppet Design by Max Humphries and Puppet Direction from Emma Brunton.

Join Alex the Lion, Marty the Zebra, Melman the Giraffe, Gloria the hip hop Hippo and those hilarious, plotting penguins as they bound onto stage in the musical adventure of a lifetime. Filled with outlandish characters, adventure galore and an upbeat score, you’ll have no choice but to “Move It, Move It!”

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