Zog – Victoria Theatre, Halifax

Writers: Julia Donaldson and Alex Scheffler

Music and Lyrics: Joe Stilgoe

Director: Ryan McBryde

How do you present a dragon on stage? Well, Ryan McBryde relies on the well-known imaginative powers of your average 3-year-old and alternates human actors in colourful sort-of-dragon costumes with perfect little puppets which the humans manipulate in the bits that are really a touch difficult, such as the climactic flying doctor sequence.

The play begins with Pearl (Jess Lobo) surrounded by animals, beginning to tell them the story of a dragon and a girl just like herself. Lotti Brogan is the severe, but kindly, Madam Dragon who teaches three pupils the way dragons should behave: Nell (Lee Beka Harper), Cedric (Hugh Cotton) and the enthusiastic Zog (Samuel John Taylor) who can’t get anything right, but tries ever so hard in his attempt to get a Gold Star from his teacher.

So they proceed through the tasks (breathing fire and the rest), scrambling and leaping over Katie Sykes’ uneven frame of a set, topped off with an ever-changing umbrella, dancing and singing Joe Stilgoe’s jolly songs (the one about peppermint breath is a real winner).  Pearl is on hand to minister to Zog’s accidents, but sadly it’s always someone else who gets the Gold Star.

Then comes the moment of truth: the dragons must find a princess! Princess crowns are handed to three lucky children, but somehow Zog looks in the wrong place. However, he is not to be denied: Pearl dons a crown and Zog gets a Gold Star for finding a princess.

It’s a well known fact that knights are supposed to rescue princesses from dragons and the play – always lively fun – takes on a crazy new dimension as Cotton appears as Sir Gadabout, with a gloriously silly song, a few boasts and a comic confrontation with Zog. Somehow this gets transformed into the scene where Pearl and Gadabout confess to a wish to be doctors, Zog offers his services and the Flying Doctor flies off into the sunset.

The whole thing is true to Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler’s original concept, good triumphing over adversity thanks to determination and a little help from your friends. It’s performed with zest, energy and plenty of athleticism by the whole cast. It is worth mentioning that technical problems beset the start of the play on this occasion, but, on the re-start after a hold-up, the enthusiasm of both cast and audience remained totally undiminished.

Runs until 8th March 2026, before continuing on tour