Well, that really was marvellous…
I always love going to the Pegasus. It’s one of those places that I know I can trust to entertain, educate and fill my kids with so much energy, they pass out on the drive home.
The Museum of Marvellous Things did exactly all of that on a sunny Saturday.
The play is based on a book of the same name, released in late 2021, written by the popular author of the series Sir Charlie Stinky Socks. Kristina Stephenson is also the lead in the play, which consists of four humans, six dolls, and a tonne of dressing up costumes.
The premise is this; sensible, serious Norbert Norris knows ALL the important things: dinosaurs, planets, shapes and sums. But when the Museum of Marvellous Things is in trouble, Norbert doesn't know what to do. Only MAGIC can save it - and he knows nothing about magic! Norbert must learn to believe, because when you imagine incredible things, almost ANYTHING can happen…
The play doesn’t stray far from the book, which we happily purchased after the show, complete with a personalised dedication to my children. In the theatrical version, we’re told that there are no rules - my children were thrilled to hear - and that we have to use our imagination throughout.
There was an abundance of interactivity from start to finish. As we arrived through the doors, Kristina met us and got down and spoke to my children. She handed them a little sealed bag and said to hold on tight and wait until she says to open it. It’s a surprise, she said. And my kids were hooked before even taking their seats.
Alongside the shenanigans, including gigantic air filled balls flying around the theatre, there was explanation throughout - which was super handy for my little ones, as some of the bigger words, they’re still unclear about. At the start, they had a huge board spelling out in-ter-ac-tion and they spent a minute or two telling us what that meant. There were also written words on speech bubbles for the noonah song, and plenty of jokes for the adults too.
The interaction took place in many forms, but the best was bringing in the younger members of the audience to dress up and be part of the show, a wonderful way of encouraging this form of art from a young age. Mine weren’t up for getting involved, but clapped beautifully after kids were dressed up in feathery outfits, repurposed tunnel toys, and shouting out what things they think are magic.
Oh, and in case you’re wondering, the final act of the show was for the kids to open up their bags and alongside Kristina instructing them, the whole audience got to make and take home their very own sock puppets!
The Museum of Marvellous Things is exactly what a family-friendly theatre production should look like. Plenty of interaction, catchy music, friendly cast members, and no loud noises or jumpy parts for the little ones. It’s also incredibly special to be able to say to the kids that the person who wrote the book they’re reading, is also the person who led the show.
After the theatre, we popped into Caper, a new(ish) independent bookshop a few doors down from Pegasus. Not only were the kids greeted by owner Xander asking all about their sock puppets, but they were thrilled when they saw a copy of The Museum of Marvellous Things right in the centre of the shop. We spent almost as much time exploring Caper as we did at the theatre!
I’m definitely heading to the library to pick up Kristina’s other stories about Charlie Stinky Socks, because if they’re anything like The Museum of Marvellous Things, I’m sure they’ll win my kids over in no time. As we were leaving East Oxford, I asked my children what they thought I should write in my review, because their opinion is of far greater importance than mine. So I’ll leave you with what my youngest said; “I’d like to say I want to see it again soon”.