Our visit to In the Night Garden Live

Yesterday was my birthday and I like nothing better than going to see a show and have a meal out.

Yesterday was different!

Yesterday we had tickets to see In the Night Garden Live.

We set off with Isaac (4), my niece Mollie (3), Eliza (17 months) and a plethora of In the Night Garden toys, from Bournemouth and headed for the venue in Richmond, London.  The three children were remarkably well behaved and we only needed one toilet stop on the way there.

The show was well signposted and the kids were really excited when they spotted the white inflatable domes and the fencing depicting Iggle Piggle and his friends.

It’s this way Mum!

The doors open half an hour before each show, and we got there with plenty of time to spare.  We had to queue for all of about 5 minutes, parked the buggy in the Buggy Park and had a brief look at the merchandise.

On sale were Iggle Piggle and Upsy Daisy cushions at £7 each, advertised to be used for the show, which worried us slightly not knowing what the seating would be like, but we settled on some light toys for the kids as they are far more fun!  At £6 each, they were quite pricey but well worth it.  They were also given a free Souvenir Activity brochure too!

Before the show, I insisted that the kids went to the toilet and was impressed by the facilities.  They were in portacabins outside, but umbrella’s were provided and the toilets themselves were spotless and each cubicle had a toddler step and seat too!

The seating was like an amphitheatre with tiered wooden steps.  Each step was plenty wide enough to accommodate dancing children, which I thought was a fabulous idea.  OK, it wasn’t the height of comfort and luxury, but for a show lasting an hour it was fine.

We had standard seats, and had a perfect view of the stage and as the venue isn’t huge, any seats would have a good view.  Before the show started Eliza spotted an image of the Pinky Ponk that was projected onto the ceiling as if flying. which kept her amused for quite some time!

And then it was time to begin………….

As soon as the theme music started there was silence from the entire audience.  Even writing about it now brings a tear to my eye as the looks on the children’s faces was priceless – sheer wonder!

I am not going to spoil the story, but the show was done like an episode of In the Night Garden on the television.  I was surprised initially as they had smaller puppets and was expecting life size ones, but it all became apparent soon after.

The puppeteers were masters of their trade and each character was brought to life so really felt believable.  The use of projectors on the ceiling was a genius idea and you actually felt you were in the night garden itself.  They also had fans to keep it cool inside, but these added to the atmosphere even more.

The children whopped with delight when they saw their favourite character, danced along with Upsy Daisy and wiggled and jiggled when riding in the Ninky Nonk with the Iggle Piggle and Upsy Daisy.

At an hour long the show was about right.  Eliza cried once, but that was because she wanted to dance and kept touching the lady in front with her wand, so we had to hold her on our laps.

If you get the opportunity to see this fantastic show, do it.  I was worried 4 year old Isaac would be too old and the day before he asked to see Batman instead, but he loved it too.  There are two shows to see too.  We saw the Ninky Nonk one.

You also get the chance to meet the characters and have a photo if you choose, but the queues for this were huge and at £15 a go, we decided against it.  The merchandise is very pricey too, so take along your own toys – you will save a fortune!

The show is in Richmond until 30th June, it then moves to Brent Cross from 7th July to 22nd July.  It then travels northwards and is at The Trafford Centre in Manchester from 18th August – 2nd September and then Cannon Hill Park Birmingham from 9th – 23rd September.

For more information see their website, like their facebook page or follow them on twitter.