Bluey was a friendly face for my toddler's first Lyceum theatre trip - with chuckles aplenty

It’s amazing how quickly time flies when you become a parent.

I’m sure just yesterday we were bringing our eldest, Seth, home from the hospital and getting to grips with how to be parents.

So how is it possible that today (May 17) we took him for his first theatre trip? And a couple of weeks ago we took him to his football match?

The firsts never really end when they’re toddlers, truth be told. First friend’s birthday party, first holiday, first time they dress themselves.

But some slap you around the chops a little harder than others - and remind you just how much they’re growing.

Watching live action ‘Bluey’s Big Play’ at the Lyceum at 10am on a Sunday was one of those moments. The realisation entered my mind that just a few short years ago the idea of being up, dressed and out where people could see me at this time on God’s day of rest would have left me reaching for another mug of coffee and two paracetamol after a heavy Saturday night. But just as quickly as that thought formulated, another one came and took its place.

Because my three-year-old was sat on a booster seat next to me, up in the circle of Sheffield’s famous Lyceum, chuckling along to his favourite characters, in a theatre full of other kids and their adults.

And in that moment, I knew this was where I was supposed to be.

Seth regularly sits and chuckles to Bluey at home. I’ve caught myself chuckling along to the Heeler family’s escapades on more than one occasion. That said, I wasn’t convinced that a live action version would capture his interest in the same way.

I needn’t have worried. For the full 50 minute showing he was entranced. He was singing, dancing, clapping and yes, chuckling.

As the show went on, you forgot about the wonderful cast working the famous puppets of Bluey, sister Bingo, mum Chili and dad Bandit. And I think that’s the biggest compliment I can pay, they just fitted in.

The puppets themselves were full of expression, and the storyline had the cheeky shenanigans we come to expect from the two sisters - as well as the wit and love from mum and dad.

I won’t spoil the storyline too much, but the fact it was written by original Bluey creator Joe Brumm meant it had all the charm and candour you would expect from your favourite Australian furry family.

The staging, music and props were all of the highest quality, too. They added to the show but never took away from the brilliantly animated puppetry, which I have to say blows my mind a little. The way the cast get those inanimate objects to move so fluidly, and in synchronisation, is a true art form.

All in, the fact that Bluey was there for Seth’s first theatre trip was sort of fitting. A trustworthy friend he knew from his living room right there in a big new place, making him chuckle, along with a few hundred other tots.

What better way is there to spend a Sunday morning? No, I don’t know either...