THE ENORMOUS CROCODILE at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre

★★★★

“a fun and happy atmosphere in the perfect surroundings of the Open Air Theatre”

Even with continual rain – and a short stop mid show, as eight top notch stage crew mopped up the flooded stage for safety; The Enormous Crocodile is a snappy tuneful wonder.

This new musical based on the classic Roald Dahl picture book, on the whole stays close to the original story; taking the audience from the muddy shores of the Nile and through the treacherous jungle, as the dastardly enormous crocodile goes in search of a nice juicy little child for lunch!

As the audience arrives, there are bubble machines and recorded jungle noises, and animal roars and trumpeting, creating a fun and happy atmosphere in the perfect surroundings of the Open Air Theatre.

The cast appear in stunning headdresses whilst wearing smile inducing chest high fishing waders and wellington boots, as they jump into the river Nile with their firefly puppets. The colourful tropical jungle comes to vibrant life.

All the much-loved characters are played by the five excellent cast members, creating delightful puppetry with the fantastic puppets designed by Toby Olié, which often integrate into Fly Davis’ super clever set and costume designs.

Malinda Parris, in the titular role, stays as the crocodile throughout – with quick changes to the extended long tail. Starting with the full cast creating the tail, it then morphs into a fast moving long tailed go-cart with the actor upfront as she gyrates the croc’s humungous head and toothy mouth, belting out crocodile songs!

The enormous crocodile meets the farty, soon to be mud loving, Humpy-Rumpy Hippopotamus, played by the always brilliant Nuwan Hugh Perera. Onwards through the jungle the enormous crocodile meets Trunky the Elephant (Joanna Adaran); the cheeky monkey Muggle-Wump (Elise Zavou) and finally the comedic and delightful Audrey Brisson as the Roly-Poly Bird. The four jungle friends are disgusted that the enormous crocodile is wanting to eat a child – and decide they need to put a stop to him!

The arrival of the Jungle Juniors is a show highlight, as the silly teacher takes them on a jungle adventure. And in true Dahlian style the children “do what we are told not to do”, and once lost in the jungle sing a sweet brave song. The enormous crocodile tries to eat the children by pretending to be a coconut tree (genius set design), a seesaw, and after eating the teacher, the croc dons the teacher’s clothes in the awful reptile’s quest to eat the children!

A magical, if quirky, ending in space as the enormous crocodile explodes into the sun and sizzles up like a sausage – dead!

Maybe not quite as dark as Roald Dahl intended. Time for a celebration!

The tasty, if unmemorable, tunes come fast and furious, composed by Ahmed Abdullahi Gallab, book and lyrics by Suhayla El-Bushra, with additional music by Tom Brady, it’s a jam packed 55-minute show.

The Enormous Crocodile is directed by Emily Lim and co-directed by Toby Olié, with uncomplicated choreography by Vicki Igbokwe-Ozoagu. Musical director Máth Roberts on keyboard, is the only live musician on-stage, hidden in plain sight in a bird hide! The pre-recorded music band sounds great. Tom Gibbons sound design works seamlessly in the open air, and even though The Enormous Crocodile plays during the day Jessica Hung Han Yun’s lighting sparkles.

A croc of gold for younger audiences!

THE ENORMOUS CROCODILE at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre

Reviewed on 22nd May 2024

by Debbie Rich

Photography by Johan Persson

Previously reviewed at this venue:

TWELFTH NIGHT | ★★★★★ | May 2024

LA CAGE AUX FOLLES | ★★★★★ | August 2023

ROBIN HOOD: THE LEGEND. RE-WRITTEN | ★★ | June 2023

ONCE ON THIS ISLAND | ★★★★ | May 2023

LEGALLY BLONDE | ★★★ | May 2022

THE ENORMOUS CROCODILE

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★★★★★

“The acting maintains an astounding level of intensity, with tiny looks and touches between the cast changing the atmosphere in an instant”

The electricity was palpable during the finale of this layered and explosive production from the eminent writer Suzan-Lori Parks. Director Femi Elufowoju jr draws out big performances from the cast of three, with haunting staging emphasising the themes of division, secrecy, boundaries, and the green shoots of redemption.

The piece is set on the US-Mexico border, where Vet (Peter De Jersey), a border patrol guard is about to be honoured for his work intercepting migrants. He chooses different terms to describe them, many offensive, and sees the patrol more as a calling than a job. A screen flickers on the wall, live streaming footage of the border.

William Fricker and Rae Smith’s set further feeds into Vet’s obsession with delineating the other. Imposing scaffolding bisects the stage, with a US flag ripped to shreds on barbed wire suspended at the top. There are a palimpsest of hidden pits and nooks that are revealed over time, but covered over to be almost imperceptible on first view.

Vet’s son, Buddy (Daniel Fancis-Swaby), opts to visit, for the first time in 15 years, apparently to honour his father and attend this ceremony. It is clear (even from the length of absence) that their relationship has been difficult in the past, so it seems like this gesture may go some way to repairing what has been broken. However, currents still run deep, and the return does not have wholly wholesome motivations. He is revealed to be on a vengeance mission, and is on the lookout for three strikes of evidence which frame the piece in a menacing countdown.

Contrasting their disturbances, Grace is a breath of fresh air, often arriving on stage with a song in Ellena Vincent’s rich alto, or through classics played through an old radio set. She collects good-news stories in her Book of Grace which provides the other narrative framing device, setting out chapters, and providing context. Initially this can seem jarring and one dimensional, but Parks’ piece introduces doubt as to their veracity, and the snippets of fantasy, particularly around a story of a dog, grows in significance.

There is so much circularity and detail in the piece, from names, to symbolism of uniforms and clothing, to ritual washing and drenching, and it feels like nothing goes to waste. The acting maintains an astounding level of intensity, with tiny looks and touches between the cast changing the atmosphere in an instant. The closing scenes are so well choreographed by Kemi Durosinmi, that I do not think a single person in the audience took a breath for the final ten minutes.

This is an incredibly accomplished piece of theatre, addressing so many of the themes that are pertinent in the current political environment. The acting, direction and staging are all richly thought through, and absolutely do justice to Parks’ superb material.

Category Archives: Reviews

THE ENORMOUS CROCODILE

★★★★

Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre

THE ENORMOUS CROCODILE at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre

★★★★

“a fun and happy atmosphere in the perfect surroundings of the Open Air Theatre”