The Three Little Pigs entertain young and old

Christopher Finn, Carly Mackelvie and Simon Braithwaite in The Three Little Pigs at the Greenwich Theatre. Picture: Roy Tan

Reviewed at the Greenwich Theatre, London.

Written by the Olivier Award-winning team that bought young audiences Honk! Just So, Mary Poppins, Betty Blue Eyes and Soho Cinders, George Stiles and Anthony Drewe’s European premiere of the well-known children’s story The Three Little Pigs is a sweet and simple tale, complemented by a sophisticated and appealing score full of memorable tunes.

Spelling out the plot in an accessible and often educational way, we saw the three little pigs (Christopher Finn as Bao, Simon Braithwaite as Cha and Carly Mackelvie as Siu) leave home to make their own way in the world. But would they utilise their respective talents and band together or strike out alone? And how would they fare against the “misunderstood” Big Bad Wolf, played with Elvis-style knee-wiggling flair by Guy Mott, who managed to be a great baddie without being nightmare inducing.

Quirky costumes were reflective of the three piggies – the hippy, the sports star and the nerd – and were cleverly created so that the characters were recognisable for their traits rather than elaborate head pieces or masks.

It’s often difficult for musical theatre performers to fully engage with a young audience (in this case, mostly 3-7 year olds plus younger babes-in-arms), drawing them in and giving themselves fully to the remit of the show, without giving off an air of children’s theatre being a little bit beneath them. Some cast members were more convincing in this respect than others, but Mackelvie pulled it off most successfully with her radiant smile and open performance.

It was a high standard of vocals all round and, despite some odd choreography, the musical numbers were catchy with pleasing harmonies.

The show successfully managed to be a morality tale but without being overwhelmingly so – there were jokes and japes for little ones and parents alike, meaning that the whole family could enjoy the journey. The kids were kept enthralled and the show was the perfect length for such a young demographic. Thankfully the somewhat disturbing finale seemed to go over the children’s heads, and they were keen to meet the cast on the way out of the auditorium.

Katie Colombus

In July The Three Little Pigs opens in Singapore in Mandarin. It is where the show started its life in English in 2012, but the Singapore Repertory Company is now producing it for the Chinese-speaking population ahead of a potential tour of China next year.