Zog – The Lowry, Salford

Adaptor/Director: Emma Kilbey

Music/Lyrics: Joe Stilgoe

Writer: Julia Donaldson

Julia Donaldson wrote a book many years ago… 30 to be exact. And if you were unsure on if you had arrived at the correct venue to watch Zog, The Lowry’s brilliant exhibition celebrating the past 30 years of the creators of Zog, (That’s Julia Donalson and Axel Sheffler if you were in any doubt!) is a bright and vibrant signpost! Which is also a must-visit pre or post show freebie!

The children’s classic Zog, is full of fun, wonder and inspiration. Which is captured perfectly in Freckle Production’s latest stage adaptation, this is mainly down to a perfect pairing of talents with Emma Kilbey’s script and direction and Joe Stilgoe’s music and lyrics which captures the magic of Donaldson and Sheffler’s original material perfectly.

The book follows a young dragon, Zog, on his journey through dragon school. Although in this production Zog seems to be the smallest dragon physically, the story begins by introducing Zog as ‘the tallest and the keenest one by far!’ And we travel with Zog on his highs and his lows as he learns how to be a ‘grown-up dragon;’ Including learning to fly, breathing fire and even capturing a princess! Until he finally, with the help of a new friend, wins a much desired ‘Golden Star.’

The strong cast of 5 work very well together, seamlessly transferring from dragon, to puppeteer, to narrator; and all while gracefully and skilfully navigating a set built of scaffold. This simple but effective structure, designed by Katie Sykes, works so well for many moments and adventures which Zog encounters, most notably a game of hide and seek with the mop-headed princess and the audience! This simple but effective use of props and set is used throughout the production, even down to an invisible horse which is entrusted to a willing grown-up on the front row!

For those grown-ups who read ‘Zog’ every day…. Please tell me it’s not just my children! It’s a real treat to share in some light-hearted grown-up references and jokes too. The addition of the audience interactive moments brake up the sitting and listening for the younger members of the audience. Having said this, my 16-month-old and 3 and half year old both sat for the entire hour in awe of the wonder in front of them!

The addition of songs to adaptations such as this can sometimes feel forced, which is so far from true with this production. Stilgoe’s inspirational lyrics with themes of being able to ‘be a someone’ and being able to ‘do’ anything could easily stand alone as an album for children to sing and enjoy, with their tunes and messages still ringing around our heads!

The production is aimed at 3+ but easily captures the hearts of much younger (and older!) audience members, with its vibrant colours, catching tunes, slick performers and the words of the much-loved bookbinding it all together.

Runs until: 3 September 2023 alongside the Donaldson and Sheffler exhibition till Jan 2024