Mumbler invited Abbie and her two Mini Mumblers along to review ‘My First Play: A Midsummer Night’s Nap’ at The Garage. Here’s what she thought:
We were very excited to be invited to review ‘My First Play: A Midsummer Night’s Nap’ at The Garage for Norwich Mumbler. I’ve heard great things about previous performances such as ‘My First Panto’ and we were not disappointed! It’s a fun way to introduce the works of Shakespeare to children for the first time in an interactive, musical environment.
I took my three year old, who has a very short attention span, and my one year old who currently loves to explore everything and does not stay still. I was therefore slightly anxious about my children interrupting the play or causing general mayhem, which I am sure many other parents feel too. However, this is why these shows are so unique as the actors and venue know that children are unpredictable and won’t necessarily sit still throughout.
There are seats at the back of the room with cushions on the floor alongside chalkboards and boxes containing chalk. This was a nice idea as my toddler loves drawing and it kept her entertained! The actors sat amongst the audience before the play started, talking and drawing with the kids who clearly enjoyed this.
There are parts in the play that are interactive and this definitely keeps the children’s concentration. The involvement of an audience member was also a fun surprise that had us all laughing. The musical instruments were brilliant, although my one-year-old found them a bit loud and joined in with crying for a few seconds!
The venue is next to Chapelfield Gardens and there is a child-friendly cafe inside with toys too. The performance lasts approximately an hour. It’s fine to leave and come back if you need to, but I saw parents soothing babies at the side of the room and there is no reason to leave if your baby needs feeding as it’s both bottle and breastfeeding friendly – because as we all know when babies need feeding they don’t wait! There is space inside for pushchairs too.
Tickets are free for under ones, £12.50 for adults and £7.50 for over ones. It is suitable for ages 2-7 but there was lots of laughing from the adults too not just for the little ones. Photography is allowed as long as the flash is off so you can get some pictures of the kids taking part too.
Overall, a brilliantly fun hour for adults and children alike to both introduce and rediscover how great Shakespeare can be.
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