Angelina Ballerina The Mousical at the Adelaide Festival Centre
A fun kid’s holiday show is always a treat and Angelina and the other energetic mice characters in this talented ensemble deliver all the goods needed for a great “mousical” event.
Angelina and her mates are very excited when their dance group ‘Camembert Dance Academy’ are given the chance to stage a show on a TV programme called ‘Dancing with Mice’. But team work just doesn’t gel as the girls and boys have different ideas on what will be a mousey hit. Clearly, a dance captain is needed.
And so the story unfolds, through excellent dance sequences, songs and antics that keep the little ones engaged; all wrapped up in a lovely set that easily takes us to the different locations in mouse-land.
The girls want ballet and the boys want hip-hop. A highlight of the show is how the mice work their way around this tricky issue and come up with the end result and the number that does get them a spot on TV.
Kids love being included and in this piece they are given plenty of opportunity to join in. “Who should be the dance captain?” they are asked and guess who, none but Angelina, the star of the show!
Angelina and the other mice can dance very well! Energy, timing and lots of different styles combine to work wonderfully, with some beautiful moments of classical ballet for the serious young dance students in the house.
There are some nicely subtle messages about the importance of team work, inclusion and listening to others. A great surprise to this show is adding a local dance team of girls and boys into a number.
This is an excellent show for the little ones. Although, judging from the younger kids around me, some may get a bit lost with the plot at times, there is enough action, fun and top shelf song and dance to keep them watching, interested, laughing and smiling. Surely this is what kids theatre is all about.
