Mr Tiger Goes Wild

Quickly – get away from your usual theatre haunts this Christmas and along to this fantastic adaptation of Peter Brown’s not-widely-enough known tale of the frustrated Mr Tiger. Theatre company Goblin and the intimate Chelsea Theatre have vividly fleshed out his book into an unmissable musical delight for children aged three and over.

Dressed in a grey sensible suit and top hat, Mr Tiger (Tom Penn) is fed up with his monotonous life with Mr Deer (Sheldon Green) in the city and tries to break them out of their boring routine by having some freestyle fun. Enhanced by nifty sound loops and silly songs, Mr Tiger’s naughtiness is infectious, but Mr Deer resists his antics.

Increasingly vexed, Mr Tiger resorts to blatant rebellion by throwing his sandwiches and scoffing Mr Deer’s cake – which makes the kids in the packed audience scream with incredulous laughter (and leaves the parents wondering how they’ll enforce table manners after that) – before finally ditching the suit and fleeing into the wilderness.

Penn is a charming Mr Tiger who captivates throughout this vibrant show with his hilarious petulance at Green’s amusingly restrained sulks. The two are also capable musicians while the songs are fun and engaging; and despite a slightly soporific number in which Mr Tiger and Mr Deer lament the loss of their friendship, the finale is a rousing rock-guitar-and-drums affair to which the kids dance and roar like little tigers.

It’s a great story about being true to yourself, and there’s little here not to adore. But hurry: this sparkling gem of a run ends on December 21.