Songs and a scary moment with The Gruffalo's Child in Sheffield

It's a cold, snowy night in the deep dark wood and - aha! oho! - every preschooler's favourite orange-eyed ogre is back, this time with his devilish daughter in tow.
The Gruffalo's' Child at Sheffield LyceumThe Gruffalo's' Child at Sheffield Lyceum
The Gruffalo's' Child at Sheffield Lyceum

A bright full moon and sparse, shadowy trees set the stage at Sheffield Lyceum for a tight cast of three as they bring to life the characters from the much-loved Julia Donaldson book. 

But turning a short rhyming read into an hour-long play means the stage version of The Gruffalo's Child is quite different to both the book and its faithful TV adaptation. 

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There are songs, squeaks and some sophisticated additional dialogue (Snake becomes less reptile, more flamboyant Italian party host) which will go over the heads of younger fans. And the slightly scary silhouette finale is enough to make the purple prickles on any back stand on end! 

A bright full moon and sparse, shadowy trees set the stage for a tight cast of three as they bring to life the characters from the much-loved Julia Donaldson book. 

But turning a short rhyming read into an hour-long play means the stage version of The Gruffalo's Child is quite different to both the book and its faithful TV adaptation. 

There are songs, squeaks and some sophisticated additional dialogue (Snake becomes less reptile, more flamboyant Italian party host) which will go over the heads of younger fans. And the slightly scary silhouette finale is enough to make the purple prickles on any back stand on end! 

Review by Sarah Crabtree

The show ends its run in Sheffield this Saturday, September 29