There’s A Monster In Your Show – Liverpool Playhouse

Music/Lyrics/Book: Tom Fletcher

Adaptor: Zoe Bourn

Director: Miranda Larson

Tom Fletcher, most famous previously as a member of boyband McFly, is now an author, celeb dad, and has now not only written children’s books but has turned his hand to writing shows too – with monsters in them! ‘There’s A Monster In Your Show’ is an adaptation of Fletcher’s highly interactive children’s book ‘There’s A Monster In Your Book.’

As we entered the theatre, Laura McEwan’s bright and playful set greets you, although it did look like it needed a bit of attention to cover the wears and tears of tour life, it is engaging for our young audience. We are then met by an array of actors all calling out different commands for us to do. To some extent this felt over stimulating for little ones as they are unsure who to listen to and which direction this story was going to take. Sadly, this theme seemed to continue throughout the narrative of the production and did at times feel more like a mash up of too many ideas.

To adapt a book with no real plot is a tricky task! But Bourn does so using the concept of storytellers creating a show in which a monster (Alien, Unicorn and Dragon!) sneak into. As the adapted plot develops slowly throughout the production, the audience delight as new book characters are revealed. The storytellers work well together, and there is strong direction and some lovely slapstick comedy movements from Miranda Larson, brought to life most notably by Ben Murrell and Ashton Owen. The stage hand was introduced at the beginning of the show but the line between stage hand and performer was blurred and I wondered if this role could have been fulfilled by the team of 4.

The music throughout is catchy and upbeat, with moments to copy simple actions as we are encouraged to dance in the aisles too. And a real highlight are the 4 puppets created by Kieth Frederick and how well they have captured the images and characters from the much loved children’s books.

Throughout the production there are moments of joy, comedy, and engaging imagery for a young audience to experience, especially for those whose visit could have been their first to a theatre. It unfortunately felt like it had lost opportunities to mirror the reader’s interaction with the book, and often did not follow through on ideas planted; most disappointingly the buildup of losing storyteller Charlie’s show finale balloons, for them to be saved, and then not used in the finale of the aforementioned show.

Runs until 14^th May 2025