Review of The Very Hungry Caterpillar at the Ambassadors Theatre

The Very Hungry Caterpillar Show has arrived at The Ambassadors Theatre for a limited 5-week run. This colourful, charming and gentle 60-minute show is perfect for children under five.

Despite the title, the show is actually an adaptation of four of Eric Carle’s classic books for children: The Artist who Painted a Blue Horse, Mister Seahorse, The Very Lonely Firefly and The Very Hungry Caterpillar. All of the stories are distinctive and feature exquisite puppets made by The Puppet Kitchen and directed by Eric Wright.

There are 74 different puppets in this production – from the small light up fireflies to the large, sail-like, flapping butterfly.

The show was created and directed by Jonathan Rockefeller and the direction and staging strongly echo the style of Carle’s books: simple stories with bright illustrations. David Goldstein’s set is completely white which allows for
kaleidoscopic lighting designs to delight the audience. The puppets are similarly colourful and bright. The puppets are skilfully operated by the cast of four: Sarah Hamilton, Andrew Cullimore, Adam Ryan and Tim Dal Corvito. The show features a gentle musical accompaniment composed by Nate Edmondson. And there’s even a cascade of bubbles onto the audience – what more could an under-five seek from a theatrical experience?

Review by Laura-Jane Foley

The Very Hungry Caterpillar, by author/illustrator Eric Carle, has delighted generations of readers since it was first published in 1969 selling more than 41 million copies worldwide.

Eric’s well-known books captivated readers with his iconic colorful hand-painted tissue paper collage illustrations and distinctively simple stories, introducing generations of children to a bigger, brighter world – and to their first experience of reading itself.

The timeless classic has made its way off the page and onto the stage.

Created by Jonathan Rockefeller, the critically acclaimed production of ‘The Very Hungry Caterpillar Show’ features a menagerie of 75 lovable puppets, faithfully adapting four of Eric Carle stories, The Artist Who Painted a Blue Horse, Mister Seahorse, The Very Lonely Firefly and of course, the star of the show – The Very Hungry Caterpillar.

THE VERY HUNGRY CATERPILLAR
Ambassadors Theatre
London
Booking Period: 13 December 2017 – 7 January 2018
Age Recommendation: 2+