Madagascar-A Musical Adventure
Based on the 2005 motion picture by DreamWorks
Directed and choreographed by Matt Raftery
Costume design by Jesus Perez
At The Marriott Theatre in Lincolnshire
Madagascar –You’ll Want to Move It-Move It!
I am incorporating the help of my 10 year old daughter Ella and her friend Kate to highlight some of the very best Madagascar moments.
Ella’s Predictions: “I think it’s going to be a great show because I’ve seen shows here before. It’s a very cool stage with cool lights. I think this show is going to be great!
It is not every day you run into a hypochondriac giraffe named Melman (Stephen Schellhardt), but when you do you are sure not to forget him. Marty the Zebra (James Earl Jones II) will leave you counting your stripes and laughing all the way to the jungle. Alex the Lion (Russell Mergnagh) is charismatic and hungry for your attention, Gloria the Hippo (Rahada Dawan) is adorable and so sweet and King Julien (Jonathon Butler-Duplessis) will have you “moving, moving” right out of your chair! Oh yes, then there are the penguins and lemurs and not to forget our monkey friend (Leah Morrow, Liam Quealy, Laura Savage, Elena Romanowski, Samantha Pauly, and Jed Feder). All kinds of mischief to be had in this one hour of fun!
I am always amazed at the amount of energy and enthusiasm that Marriott Theatre for Young Audiences puts into their productions. The costume design by Jesus Perez is amazing and the set design was functional and fun! Matt Raftery really went wild and had some fun with this show.
Kate said, “I think it was funny how there were big pieces of steaks dancing. I also really like the hippo, she has a great personality and I love her outfit-her sweater and her bow. The police officer was funny because his mustache moves when he is scared of the animals.”
This colorful tale of animals who take the center stage at the Central Park Zoo are used to life as they know it. But when Marty’s 10th Birthday has him thinking about what it would be like to take a run on the wild side his friend’s seem a little bit skeptical. He decides to escape anyway and his friend go after him to protect him from harm and the adventure begins.
Penguins up and down the aisle, lemurs galore from the city to the jungle in the blink of an eye!
Ella said, “The Zebra’s Birthday is today he is 10 like me! My favorite characters are the zebra and the lion because they are good at sharing friendship. I like that the lion was daydreaming about steak and the songs were really good they are all really good singers! The zebra dabbed! He is savage.”
Moral of the story: Friends stick together through thick and thin, and when there is trouble they find a way to make it work as a team. They accept each other’s differences and respect each other regardless. Wouldn’t life be great if we all did that?
One of the cool things is after the show the question and answer time where the audience gets to learn about the actors, costumes, lighting and design. What a lesson and it is all included in the price of the ticket.
On a side note, I really wish there were Playbills and so did other audience members. It is so nice to see what the actors have done and who is who, especially when they are animals.
Highly Recommended
Reviewed by Sally Osborne, (along with Ella Osborne and Kate Bernabei both age 10)
Date reviewed: Saturday, March 18, 2017
For more information visit MarriottTheatre.com or call 847.634.0200 for exact schedule, as show times and dates may vary. Single ticket prices are $17.23 per person. Groups of 20 or more receive a discount by calling 847-634-5909. Free parking is available at all shows. Running time approximately 1 hour through April 15, 2017.