There was an Old Lady who Swallowed a Fly – The Lowry, Salford

Creator: Steven Lee

Reviewer: Ruth Lovett

The Public Reviews Rating:

The People’s Theatre Company return with a great new interactive show for adults and children alike based on the old favourite nursery rhyme; There was an Old Lady who Swallowed a Fly.

With the help of a Russian scientist trying to piece together bits of the tale from an old ancient parchment he has come across, the audience are required to help fill in the gaps in his knowledge and find out what happened to the lady. With the help of projection and of course, the help of the boys and girls we eventually tick through the list of the creatures eaten by the old lady and find out if she dies.

There is a good leave of audience interaction and participation but not too much that it leaves you feeling like you are doing all the work and not so little as to feel as if the children could have got more out of it. Singing, a little of dancing and doing the actions gets the children involved enough to enjoy it but they are also happy to sit down and allow the two performers entertain them in between all the giddiness.

There is a bizarre section in which a song about digestion and indigestion is introduced which is perhaps a little too advanced for the children the show is aimed at and does not really have a place in the show. At around 100 minutes in length with no break it is perhaps a shade too long although the children cope well.

All in all this is a well thought out show that ignites the imagination of the audience and engages the parents as well as the children and in the words of my 4 year old nephew, is a bit magical.