Pigs Might Fly – New Victoria Theatre, Woking and Touring

(L-R) Jazz Evans, Megan Swaisland and Rachel Lea-Gray in Pigs Might Fly at the New Victoria Theatre, Woking and Touring. Picture: Melanie Gail

Pigs Might Fly was reviewed at the New Victoria Theatre, Woking on 30 May 2023. The UK tour continues until 16 July 2023.

Star rating: four stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ✩

Pigs Might Fly, with book, music and lyrics by Caroline Wigmore and Jen Green, is based on the story by acclaimed children’s author Michael Morpurgo (best known for War Horse), first published in 1991 as one of the celebrated Mudpuddle Farm series illustrated by Shoo Rayner.

This musical adaptation follows the exploits of Pintsize the adventurous piglet. When two warring farmers put up a fence separating his home Mud Farm from neighbouring Puddle Farm, Pintsize decides to try and find a way to fly over it in order to play with his best friend, Diana the sheep.

The three-hander stars Megan Swaisland as Pintsize, who narrates this absorbing story effectively and takes a strong lead in numbers including the title song. The equally engaging Rachel Lea-Gray (returning to the show following its first UK tour last year) and Jazz Evans complete the cast as turnip-loving Farmer Brightwell and grumpy Farmer Rafferty, respectively.

Both Lea-Gray and Evans adeptly play a number of secondary characters, including Diana and Albertine the goose, and Swaisland briefly doubles as Egbert the goat. While the actors move seamlessly from one role to another, it is always easy to follow the story and work out who is who, especially given their adorable characterisations of the various different animals.

Director Kate Golledge, an advocate for new musicals and an expert in bringing children’s shows to life, ensures that Pigs Might Fly works successfully as entertainment for young audience members. Her direction offers a multitude of light-hearted comic moments and grandiose gestures, complemented by Chris Whittaker’s fun choreography.

Stewart J Charlesworth’s bright, multi-coloured set and costumes provide further visual stimulus to captivate children – to say nothing of the impressive animal puppets used to illustrate the story, of which the crow is a particular standout.

Wigmore and Green, who previously adapted Morpurgo’s story Mimi and the Mountain Dragon as a musical in 2016, perfectly balance dialogue with music to craft a show ideally suited to holding children’s attention through its constant variety. The catchy tunes and carefully placed reprises have the youngsters chorusing ‘Mud, Mud, Mudpuddle farm!’ by the end of the performance, and there are some great moments of audience interaction written into the script as well.

With an age guidance of three to 11 years, the show has a very manageable running time of 50 minutes, and the volume of the performance is kept to a respectable level too. While the reading age of Morpurgo’s original book is five years and up, this would not preclude a younger child from being absolutely enchanted by this musical.

There is also much on offer in this show to entertain adults. Albertine’s song, ‘You’ve Got to Have Wings’, is so cleverly written that, although the average three-year-old might not appreciate its finer nuances, an older audience member would have to admire its wit and ingenuity.

Proof of the success of Deus Ex Machina’s vibrant production lies in the audience’s response: it keeps even the smallest infants engrossed and well-behaved throughout the performance. If you have young children or grandchildren, do not let them miss Pigs Might Fly!

Christopher Wiley