REVIEW: Disney's Winnie the Pooh KIDS

Disney's Winnie the Pooh KIDS, by Nelson Youth Theatre Company at the Theatre Royal, 20 September 2023.

Reviewed by John van Gosliga

Winnie the Pooh has been brought to the Stage in a delightful premiere by the Nelson Youth Theatre Company.

This is A.A Milne's classic story about Winnie the Pooh, Christopher Robin and friends, and is a must see for families with young children.

The audience tonight laughed and clapped at the enthusiastic acting and singing and I was amazed at the large cast that entertained us all so effortlessly.

The bright, colourful costumes and great makeup added to the excitement and you could tell the actors were having a great time acting and singing through the various songs.

I thought the sound was clear but some of the singing and dictation was a little quiet in parts.

The enthusiasm of Tigger, played by Reuben Hart, was very entertaining and Eeyore's subdued demeanor added to the humour of this character played by Samantha Robin.

The projected backdrop added nicely to the atmosphere and the various narrators added their own touch to the show and kept the pace moving along nicely.

Winnie the Pooh is 45 minutes long, but it felt like only 20 minutes had gone by when the curtain went down.

I am sure that this may be the first time on stage for some of the actors but the smiles and animated faces made me think that they were having fun just being on stage and having the chance to perform to a live audience.

Lariana Fifita played Winnie the Pooh for tonight’s opening and stayed in character the whole time and got the audience up on their feet with the final singalong.

I congratulate Jamie Gornall, who is both director and musical director, and the large team who have bought the classic story to life.

Winnie the Pooh is on at the Theatre Royal until 23 September. Book your tickets here.