Children’s television shows have always been dominant when it comes to things you can use to distract them whilst you’re busy doing something else. As a result, many of the production companies responsible for said TV shows are quick to organise national tours of a live version of the programme that young people have fallen in love with. On that front, In the Night Garden is no exception, offering viewers the ability to get along and see a live production of the show that introduced the world to characters such as Upsy Daisy and Makka Pakka, and now it’s coming to Guildford.
What Is In the Night Garden?
Let’s be honest, unless you have kids, are responsible for some on a regular basis or simply like to turn on the TV and leave it running in the background, irrespective of what’s on, there is a very real chance that you have no idea what In the Night Garden is. In 2004, writer, puppeteer and actor Andrew Davenport began to draw sketches for some characters that he named Igglepiggle, Upsy Daisy and Makka Pakka. A year later, a TV series was announced publicly and filming began on the production of it in the March of 2005 by Ragdoll Productions.
Filmed at a private forest in Warwickshire called Smatchley Wood, In the Night Garden is aimed at preschool children and was released on CBeebies and BBC Two between the March of 2007 and the same month two years later. Around 100 episodes were made, bringing in Derek Jacobi as the narrator of the goings-on of the colourful characters that Davenport had created. They live in a magical forest surrounded by brightly coloured flowers, whilst the music used has a jaunty feel to it. Each episode starts with a show of a child sleeping in bed, prior to Igglepiggle sailing to the Night Garden.
What the Live Show Entails
As you might imagine, the live show of In the Night Garden presents audiences with the chance to step into the world of the TV show, watching all of the characters brought to life by actors wearing costumes. The entire world is made real courtesy of the work of puppeteers and amazing projections, all added to thanks to the use of enchanting music. There is also a Pinky Ponk that flies around, provided the venue is able to accommodate that and that it is working. Obviously not every show is able to have a Pinky Ponk flying around, but they try their best to make it happen.
The entire point of the show is to bring the show to life, which is something that the young people in the audience find amazing to experience. In spite of their young age, they know the characters so well that they become immersed in the world that is taking place in front of them. It is a thrilling and mesmerising thing for them to be able to watch, with many still talking about it a long time after the show is over and the actors have packed their costumes away. When you consider that it has been running for 16 years, it’s easy to understand that it is so beloved by the audience.
An Hour Long Experience
It is fair to say that preschool children do not have the best of attention spans. As a result, the show runs for an hour and there is no interval to break it up. The cast usually does three shows a day, with the exact timing of them depending on the venue and location where the show is taking place. Having said that, it is normal for shows to be at 10am, 12pm and 3pm, providing plenty of flexibility for you to work out which is the best one for the little one in your life. After all, you will know better than anyone else what time they need their nap, what time they tend to eat and so on.
More than one million people have been along to see In the Night Garden Live, meaning that you will be in good company if you decide to head along and get involved. Parents offer it consistently favourable reviews, largely owing to the fact that there’s nothing quite like In the Night Garden Live’ when it comes to the kind of experience that your little ones can have in a theatre. The overall sense from the audience is that you are as good as in the garden, which means that the kids don’t get bored or tired and are instead entirely enraptured by what’s taking place.
Heading to G Live
The length of the show is ideal for little ones, to say nothing of the fact that adults won’t mind it not being too long either. If you’ve never been to G Live, then you’re in for a treat, given the fact that the venue is one of the most interesting in Guildford. Originally the Guildford Civic Hall, that was closed in 2004, and the new location opened officially in 2012.
Given the fact that you are likely to be heading there with your little one, you might want to contact G Live ahead of time in order to ask whether there is anywhere to leave your buggy and what the baby changing facilities are like, etc. Obviously, you can’t leave your child unsupervised, but you will be able to buy some In the Night Garden merchandise after the show.