Review: The magical tale of '˜The Singing Mermaid' brought to life

The Singing Mermaid is a familiar character for my daughter and I.

The Julia Donaldson book, with stunning illustrations by Lydia Monks, is one of our favourites and we've read it dozens of times together over the past couple of years. At The Crucible Studio, the story has been beautifully adapted for the stage, led by three all-singing-and-dancing narrators and puppeteers working in harmony to bring each memorable character to life. A mix of songs, creative puppetry and '“ of course '“ a good dollop of audience participation weave the tale together in a fantastic hour-long performance.

We loved the menacing old Sam Sly (played hilariously to perfection), the brilliant circus performances of the supporting cast (three cheers for our favourite, the clown!), and '˜hurrah-ed' like mad things when the Singing Mermaid finally made it home.

Running until December 30.