Kim Ferraro
(1 Reviews)

For centuries, Elmer, the patchwork elephant, has been a part of children's imaginations. This year, Elmer celebrates his 35th anniversary. For those who don't know Elmer, he is a multicoloured elephant who lives happily among a grey herd, and after he tries and fails to hide his true self, he learns that his friends love him for his uniqueness, written by David McKee.

Whether ELMER is pretending to be an ordinary grey elephant or playing a practical joke, has anyone actually seen him in real life? There is doubt that he even exists, and it is up to the audience to help find him.

In the play, based currently at the LOWRY theatre, Manchester, it is acted by three friends, Jack Benjamin, Frankie Turon, and Amelia Gabriel. There were lots of children aged from 1 plus, waiting excitedly for the show to begin. The props on stage, creating a colourful jingle, and the lighting were keeping everyone intrigued about what was about to start. As soon as the cast came onto the stage, they immediately immersed the children into the storyline and interacted with the audience.

The storyline sets off with the three friends getting together for a yearly reunion to celebrate 'Elmer Day'. Not long into the start of ELMER THR ADVENTURE, the cast starts with the first song, 'E-L-M-E-R'. This is a very catchy song, and the audience is encouraged to join in the singing. All of the audience, from the younger children, through to the grown-ups all participated!

ELMER leaves the herd to find a bush with berries that he can eat whilst meeting different animals along the way. All three cast members play each animal brilliantly. He then rejoins his friends, and the story continues! The songs also continue when they sing 'Elmer and the tune'. Again, a very catchy song, and they keep the audience engaged and focused. To try and get the song out of their heads, they get the audience to sing another well-known song before a giant balloon is thrown around the audience, making the children laugh and keeping them engaged.

ELMER meets hippos along his journey, and the whole audience is encouraged to take the role of being the hippos!

The hippos' original lake has dried up, and it is up to Jack, Frankie, and Amelia to try and figure out why this has happened. They come up with a plan and fund out that by working as a team, they can be stronger together and get the water flowing again. This is when the water guns come out, and the audience gets wet! The children were all in laughter.

As the story continues, we learn that ELMER is real and the interaction between ELMER and Jack is a loving and caring one.

Throughout the show, all of the audience members were kept captivated and focused on the stage. The length of THE ELMER ADVENTURE was just right for the children to keep them engaged and interested in the storyline.

I didn't know what to expect beforehand, and I was not sure if I would be thinking about other things that I needed to do, but I was entranced in the storyline for the full hour! I would recommend booking to see it, adults and children will love it.