Review: Hey Duggee: The Live Theatre Show at the Lyceum Theatre, Sheffield

I must have stared at the show hundreds of times before then, sleep deprived and dazed with a toddler and a newborn, taking in nothing beyond the boxy cartoon shapes, woof woof voices, and psychedelic colours.

The big scouting clue – the badges earned by noisy hippo Roly, clumsy rhino Tag, sweetly curious mouse Norrie and friends (all, confusingly, referred to as Squirrels) – went sailing straight over my head.

Heck, I had no idea round grey Roly even was a hippo.

But in more recent years, as the fog started to lift, I have come to develop a new appreciation for Hey Duggee: the entertaining whilst also educational episodes, the gently nuanced moral messages, the intricately woven plot lines, the complex and interlinked multi-faceted characters…

Okay, okay, maybe it’s still not that deep.

But, for one of the trippiest shows on CBeebies, it does have layers beyond just its digitally animated shapes, and tinny, plinkety-plonk tunes.

As does the live theatre show, which takes the seven-minute TV episodes and transforms them into a joyfully immersive 55-minute experience perfect for pre-schoolers.

There’s puppetry, played out by a cast of seven actors in front of the familiar Clubhouse backdrop, some nice special effects involving air-blowers, bubbles, streamers and glitter, and some thumping bass line beats to go with the easily-repeatable songs.

The story sees Duggee and the Squirrels embark on a quest to earn their theatre badges, which they must do by discovering the elements needed to put together a stage show: singing, a cappella, choreography and costumes, and the travelling to get there. Young audience members are learning the same, too, and watching the puppeteers at work behind the animated characters is a lesson for anyone in the imaginative escapism of live theatre.

The best section is undoubtedly the trip into outer space. The lighting goes dark, huge glowing latex ‘planets’ are bounced from the stage out into the audience, and neon balls are thrown at speed to represent shooting stars and comets. The visual effect is mesmerising.

Duggee puppet-master Benedict Hastings keeps the craziness just about under control with a dual role as Narrator – Hey Duggee fans will know Duggee himself barely speaks – why talk when you can ah-woof? – and it’s voiceover man and Pointless host Alexander Armstrong who adds the speech to the TV show.

It’s worth buying the £8 programme – there’s a page to place the free stickers each child is awarded as they enter the Lyceum, a fold-out sheet of cardboard pop-out chicken paddles for little ones to hold aloft, a lovely nine-page story, lots of interesting behind-the-scenes production photos, and an activity section with writing, colouring, a quiz and a spot-the-difference puzzle.

Little ones will love it. And, with a bit of childlike abandon and innocence, not-so-little ones will too.

All together now…

Boots and Cats and Boots and Cats…

Hey Duggee: The Live Theatre Show is at the Lyceum Theatre, Sheffield, until Saturday, March 18.