Madagascar The Musical will delight your family this school holidays

The Kiri Te Kanawa Theatre hosts a musical that’s so full of laughter, energy and positivity that you can’t help but toe tap and smile. Madagascar The Musical from GMG Productions, brings the classic Dreamworks film to life on the stage with the much-loved characters looking, acting and sounding like you know and love them.

We meet Alex the lion, Marty the Zebra, Gloria the Hippo and Melman the hypochondriac Giraffe in Central Park Zoo, New York. Keen to discover more of the world, Marty escapes on his 10th birthday so his friends go looking for him. Their resulting capture after roaming through the streets of NYC ends with the whole crew being shipped off to what turns out to be ‘the wild’!! They are accompanied throughout by the scheming penguins whose New York smarts see them traverse the globe looking for their perfect home.

Musically, all the numbers are pretty big and catchy so you can sing along from about halfway through. Highlights included the duet between Alex and Marty, Best Friends, an upbeat and happy number with great choreography. Alex’s ode to his favourite meal Steak comes complete with a female harmony trio and singing meat and was particularly memorable for both its musical stylings and its comedy. We’re all here for the big hit I Like to Move It led by King Julian and it’s certainly as crowd-pleasing as you’d hope it would be.

The main characters are fully dressed in excellent full costumes while smaller creatures are operated as puppets. Despite being able to see the performers, the penguin’s beam personality and the monkey will take you down a peg or two with his sharp tongue. Humour and quick wit are a theme throughout giving the audience plenty of opportunities to smile or giggle at the jokes and physical comedy.

The set escapes us to various locations brightly and boldly that’s often simple but highly effective – particularly the scene when our beloved animals are all in crates on their way to who knows where. Despite the challenges it must pose, the choreography is fast and fierce making sure everyone shakes their tail feathers. 

Madagascar NZ review

The local talent does not disappoint during this playful adventure and the whole cast have lovely chemistry with their fellow animals. Kristin Paulse as Gloria manages some great moves in her rotund hippo costume and her voice is quite striking and pitch-perfect. Ben Freeth as Melman has a trickier job than the other three leads as he has to manoeuvre the long neck and head of his giraffe costume. His delivery is funny and on point as the somewhat anxious lanky beast. Leroi Kippen nails Marty’s enthusiasm and energy and gels perfectly with his ‘best friend’ Alex. 

The King of the Zoo himself is played by Andrew Papas and he never fails to deliver the confidence and arrogance needed to be a lion while providing an excellent and faultless vocal performance. He’s especially entertaining during his trippy tranquillizer dart solo and in his steak love song. A definite fan favourite was King Julian played by Jonathan Martin who relishes in his fantastic one-liners and hilarious quips about animal excretions which had the audience roaring with laughter.

The whole shebang is a pure burst of bright energetic entertainment on stage. Enjoy this show with the whole family this school holidays – we dare you not to dance in the aisles to I Like to Move it!!

Madagascar The Musical is on at The Kiri Te Kanawa Theatre, Aotea Centre until the 18th of July before it heads off to Wellington and Christchurch.

Reviewed by Ingrid Grenar

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