EEEE, IT’S EASTER – AND THERE’S PLENTY TO KEEP THE LITTLE ONES ENGAGED AT HARROGATE THEATRE

What with snow days, non-stop nose-running then half-term holidays, it might feel like the kids have only just properly gone back to school after Christmas. Now it’s time to start gearing up for Easter. Fear ye not: although you may have to hunt for eggs, great family entertainment is right under your nose at Harrogate Theatre.

A household name in children’s TV, Jane of the jungle Michaela Strachan has been keeping little ones engaged since the 1980s. Her latest show, Michaela Strachan’s Really Wild Adventures (Harrogate Theatre, Wednesday 3 April) is inspired by her awesome encounters with the animal kingdom, from hand-feeding sharks to rescuing penguins. This delightful journey through an alphabet jungle of animal rhymes will appeal to those aged 3-8.

www.michaelastrachan.co.uk

Imagine Billy Elliot but with a dog in the lead role. Based on the book written by Anna Kemp and illustrated by Sara Ogilvie, Dogs Don’t Do Ballet from Little Angel Theatre follows Biff, a mutt who likes moonlight and music and thinks he’s a ballerina. Blending puppetry, well-loved ballet music and comedy, Dogs Don’t Do Ballet is spot-on for 2-6-year-olds and is at Harrogate Studio Theatre from Wednesday 3 to Saturday 6 April.

www.littleangeltheatre.com

Who doesn’t love The Ugly Duckling? Hans Christian Andersen’s tale of personal transformation is beloved the world over and is given an enchanting balletic twist in Northern Ballet Theatre’s first production for children, Ugly Duckling. The perfect introduction to the magic of live ballet, music and theatre, Ugly Duckling runs for 45 minutes and is suitable even for cygnets-in-arms (Harrogate Theatre, Saturday 6 April).

www.northernballet.com/uglyduckling

As French as a croissant wearing a beret, Compagnie Animotion mix mime, movement and sign language in inventive shows that spellbind kids and enchant the inner child in all of us. This Easter, Harrogate Studio Theatre is pleased to play host to two of this exciting company’s creations: Portmanteau (Thursday 11 and Friday 12 April) is an interactive show set in a 1950s touring cinema. When the projector breaks down just as the film is about to start, a way of recreating the film has to be found. The War Of The Buttons (Saturday 13 April) sees a petty squabble snowball into the war of the buttons between George (who grows grapes) and Bessie (who grows cabbages). In this magical world of clowning, movement and sign language, a button can be a kiss, a present or a trophy from the battleground.

www.compagnie-animotion.org

Tickets for these events can be booked securely online at www.harrogatetheatre.co.uk or through the Harrogate Theatre Box Office on 01423 502116.

By Andy on February 27, 2013