Review: THE ENORMOUS CROCODILE THE MUSICAL at Children's Theatre Company

Something enormous has taken up residence in the Children’s Theatre Company’s Cargill stage and it is hungry!

Set within the heart of the jungle, The Enormous Crocodile, one of Roald Dahl’s exciting short stories, tells the tale of a mischievous croc with a peculiar appetite…. human children. The production that started its life across the pond in the U.K., fully realizes the tale as a one hour musical that is sure to delight audiences of all ages.

Setting the scene as soon as the audience enters the hazy mist filled theater, we are transported to the heart of the jungle along the river’s edge. Be sure to pick up your monkey nuts as you walk in, no spoilers but they may just come in handy! It is a feast for the eyes and senses as fog filled bubbles fill the space, truly creating a world for the audience to inhabit along side the characters.

Acted out by five fantastically talented performers, the variety of characters are brought to life through the magic of puppetry. 26 individual puppets fill the stage at various points throughout the show, each as brilliant and jaw dropping as the next. Not only are they amazing to look at, the sounds and personalities that the actors give to them is just as varied.

Each member of the cast brings their own strength to the production. While they might not all take on solos within the piece, they all have the enormous (pardon the pun) task of transforming themselves throughout the show to give human elements to each individual creature. It is a joy to behold and they know exactly how to sell this piece of work to not just the kids in the audience but also the adults through their ability to get belly laughs to erupt from the adults as well by focusing on the comedy and whimsy.of the story.

While we don’t want to root for a child eating crocodile (usually), Taya Ming makes it impossible to root against her as the Enormous Crocodile. She is not only hilarious but also devilishly evil, plotting and planning how to bring her cruel plan to fruition.

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