Mr Popper’s Penguins was reviewed at the Northcott Theatre, Exeter. The production continues touring in New York, Leicester, Southend, London and Chichester until 11 December.
Star rating: four stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ✩
How do you create a stage production which features the mad antics of ten penguins when you have a cast of only four humans?
Somehow Pins and Needles, the company responsible for bringing Richard and Florence Atwater’s children’s story to the stage, pull off the impossible with a waddle of charming puppet penguins and some truly remarkable puppetry.
Mr Popper lives with his buttoned-up wife in the sleepy town of Stillwater where nothing much ever happens. But he dreams of the Antarctic and snowy adventures and one day his life is turned upside down when a penguin called Captain Cook arrives at his house.
Captain’s initial appearance provides the first of several visual treats. As the penguin creates wonderful havoc in Mrs Pepper’s dull but ordered living-room, it’s easy to forget this black and white suited, chaos-creator is actually only a puppet.
The madness gets madder when boy penguin meets girl penguin and a bevy of babies ensue. Expensive to keep, just like their human counterparts, the Poppers decide that the only way they can make ends meet is to take the family on the road as performers. Cue a very fun scene with some terrific acrobatics.
As the narrative gradually becomes more fantastical, so the zany cast members gradually turn the set from pedestrian to magical. Even the strait-laced Mrs Popper begins to thaw, until eventually she is only too eager to swap her sensible clothes for a shiny, silver expedition jacket.
This is a light-hearted mini-musical where the songs are sweet (rather than showstopping) and the action zips along a pace. Great for a family outing that lifts the spirits, it would take a real curmudgeon not to come away with at least a smile.
Exeter Northcott Theatre provides a good atmosphere for a family show. With its lush collegiate surroundings and just over 500-seat capacity, the venue has a warmth about it that works well.
Nicola Curtis
Readers may also be interested in:
Interview – Roxanne Palmer shares the magic of Mr Popper’s Penguins
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