The Further Adventures of Doctor Dolittle
Logie Steading, Moray
No rain! No midges! A perfect afternoon for outdoor theatre at its best. And Illyria delivered in style. With a hectic schedule of performing at 38 venues throughout UK this company of five put on a terrific show running for over an hour and a half, keeping adults and children under their spell. Following the phenomenal success of 2018's tour of ‘The Adventures of Doctor Dolittle’ they delved back into Hugh Lofting’s amazing stories bringing a brand-new musical adventure to their charming, specially designed stage. Full of colourful costumes and an amazing array of puppets deftly manipulated by the cast this show had all the ingredients you expect from this company. They have been presenting and touring productions for 30 consecutive years and the experience shows. This adaptation melds storylines from a total of seven of the original books. It also features a ‘song a minute’, cleverly written and composed by Director Oliver Gray, with the musical arrangements and orchestration by Ben Wiles. I am sure the CD of this cast will entertain children and adults for a long time with its witty lyrics and catchy melodies.
Not a screaming child or even a bored adult in the hundred strong audience. Just pure enjoyment.
It is hard to pick out one stand out performance as the actors really display a sense of company. All playing multiple roles, other than Edward Simpson as Dolittle, who has been with Illyria for ten years. All sing dance, move, work puppets, at a breakneck pace with enjoyment and commitment.
It was noticeable that the older members of the audience enjoyed the performance as much as the younger ones. Parents and children were singing along to ‘Cheese’, a send up of ‘smoochy’ pop songs and Queen. Congratulations to Callum, Edward, Jora, Nisha and Paula for a surprisingly fun afternoon in a stunning highland location.
Illyria bring their third offering of HMS Pinafore to Logie Steading on 19th August with shows at Leith Hall Huntly on 18th plus Kincardine Castle on 20th and the University of Dundee on 21st. Tour dates here.
