Madagascar The Musical Review

Disclosure - We were invited to watch Madagascar The Musical. All thoughts, opinions and photographs are our own. this post contains some affiliate links

It's hard to believe that Madagascar the movie took the world by storm 19 years ago. We all fell in love with Alex, Marty, Melman and Gloria as they escaped from New York Zoo and ended up in Madagascar where they had to brave the wild so far away from home. Big J was only 3 when the movie came out but he absolutely loved it and I think we used to play "I Like To Move It" on repeat. Since then it's become a family favourite and we were so excited to see Madagascar The Musical on it's UK and Ireland Tour.

Madagascar The Musical

Alex the lion is the king of the urban jungle, the main attraction at New York's Central Park Zoo. He and his best friends – Marty the zebra, Melman the giraffe and Gloria the hippo – have spent their whole lives in blissful captivity before an admiring public and with regular meals provided for them. Not content to leave well enough alone, Marty lets his curiosity get the better of him and makes his escape – with the help of some prodigious penguins – to explore the world.

Our Thoughts

Madagascar The Musical was better than I expected. It was bright, colourful with a great script and even better music. I fell in love with all the characters again and I now have a new favourite - King Julien.

The first half of the show lasted about 40 minutes and was based around New York's Central Park zoo and Marty's birthday wish to 'visit the wild'. When Marty escapes the zoo he is soon joined by his three friends as they try to ride the subway but are soon caught by animal control. The whole first half was so enjoyable with great songs and really showcasing the friendship between the four main characters especially Alex the Lion and Marty the Zebra.

Alex (played by Joseph Hewlett) and Marty (played by Francisco Gomes) dominated the first half of the show with their great chemistry and catchy duets. I would have loved to see more of Gloria (played by Jarnéia Richard - Noel) and Melman (played by Joshua Oakes Rogers).

The second half started after a 20 minute interval and began in Madagascar. The animals have washed up on the beach and are ready to explore the island when they meet King Julien, Maurice and Mort who are hiding from the Fossa, the largest carnivore on Madagascar. We see how Alex struggles to think of anything other than steak, Gloria and Melman begin a romance and Marty loves being in the wild and feels right at home. However Alex overcomes his desire to eat steak and helps his new friends be free of the threat of the Fossa.

The highlight of the second half was King Julien (played by Karim Zeroual). He was absolutely brilliant as King Julien. He really made us all laugh out loud and dance in our seats to 'I like To Move It'.

With a running time of 1 hour and 45 minutes approx including the interval it's perfect for all ages.