Charlie And Lola's Best Bestest Play

If you’ve got kids, go and see Charlie and Lola’s best bestest play.   If you haven’t, borrow some and go anyway!  It’s a genuine delight.

Please believe me when I say I am a happily married woman.  But…I have a confession to make:  There is another who has stolen my heart.  The guilt I carry with this little secret is tempered only by the knowledge that, surely, I am not alone.  There must be other mums all over the world who have fallen in love with a boy called Charlie. Charlie has a little sister, who is equally adorable.  Lola uses her imagination, quirky sense of logic and ABSOLUTELY AMAZING vocabulary to entertain us. 

But why the infatuation with Charlie?  It’s because he’s such a beautiful and gorgeous older brother.  He not only shares his time and space with his little sister but clearly enjoys her company (although she does exasperate him regularly).  Maybe it’s because I grew up with an older brother whose idea of a fun game with his little sister was to punch her every time Fred Flintstone cried “Yabbadabbadoo!” (Oh, how I used to pray each day that, just for one episode, Fred would desist…).  Maybe this is why I am so vulnerable to Charlie’s charms?  Ah well, whatever the reason, I ABSOLUTELY jumped at the opportunity to review Charlie & Lola’s Best Bestest Play. 

Along with my children, I have been enchanted by both the books and the television series.  And the play does not disappoint.  Charlie and Lola are the same Charlie and Lola, only this time we are transported to their delightful world by puppetry. 

Director, Roman Stefanski, creates a beautifully magical world where a young and enthusiastic cast whisk and whirl the siblings, their toys and imaginary creations around the stage.  The set design is very clever, and we are effortlessly transported from bedroom to kitchen to bathroom and back to the bedroom again – via galaxies, jungles and forests.  You have to see it to believe it.  Yes, that’s a recommendation. 

However, given my earlier confession, clearly there is the potential for partiality.  So, in the interest of fairness, please find below an ABSOLUTELY unbiased interview with Junior Reviewer, Nina Regan, aged 6:

Interviewer:  Nina, what did you think of the show?

Nina:  Good, great; I mean:  The BEST SHOW EVER!

I:  Just to clarify, would you say it’s the ‘best’ show ever, or the ‘bestest’ show?

N:  The….. BESTEST!!!!

I:  So, what was bestest about the show?

N:  It was interesting – they used puppets.  There were bubbles, butterflies, ogres and dancing dogs, too.  It was just like the books but BIGGER and BETTER!

I:  How many stars out of 5?

N:  5!  ABSOLUTELY!!!