The man who wanted to be a penguin is showing at Waterside Arts, Sale until 31st December 2022. Read on to find out more about this fantastic family show in my The man who wanted to be a penguin review. This is one of many great Christmas days out in the North West for 2022.
AD – I have been gifted 4 tickets to review the show myself and 4 tickets to giveaway here. The photos are the official photos but these are different actors to the show we saw. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
The man who wanted to be a penguin
We love the family shows that are put on at Waterside Sale. It’s a lovely small venue and they choose some fantastic family shows. Find my review of one of their previous Christmas shows here – Mr Popper’s penguins at Waterside Sale review.
We were very excited to be watching this show and I’m pleased to say we weren’t disappointed. The hour-long show flew by with lots of magical moments.
The cast of two, a very simple set and lots of puppetry really bring the story to life and it is mesmerising to watch.
This is the story of an extraordinary explorer, a curious conjurer and a pioneering problem-solver who decides he wants to be a penguin. The show starts with him pottering in his shed (and annoying all his neighbours) which leads to him wanting to be a penguin and seeing him travelling across the globe to Antarctica.
He travels to the heart of Antarctica and finds a colony of penguins all with the help of Ernest Shackleton, a bearded explorer. We see how the inventor helps the penguins on laying day! The baby penguins stole the show!
A really fun part of the show is when he is learning to speak penguin and teaches the audience too. My kids loved this part as well as all the adorable penguin puppets.
The female actor does an impressive job of playing the narrator, several different neighbours, a postal worker, an airport worker, a flight attendant, an intrepid explorer and a penguin!
The main piece of the set is the shed which is not only a shed but an aeroplane, mountain and shelter. We loved all the penguins and snow duvets.
Another magical moment for my kids was the dancing coat which we adults could see how it was created but the children in the audience were left watching a magical dancing coat! My girls were amazed by this part.
Steve Salt and Loretta Hope both deliver stunning physical performances and the set and props so perfectly bring the story to life along with the beautiful soundtrack. It really is a magical way to spend an hour with your family this Christmas.
The show is on selected dates until the 31st December 2022 and is recommended for children 3 +. Book your tickets here – The Man Who Wanted To Be A Penguin
Where to next?
Find more festive family shows and other events in Manchester here – Christmas events Manchester
Of course, if you want to book a visit to Father Christmas then you need this post – Where to see Father Christmas Manchester