REVIEW - DEAR ZOO | LOWRY | 11/08/2026
Updated: Aug 12
DEAR ZOO AT LOWRY – A COLOURFUL AND INTERACTIVE ADVENTURE FOR YOUNG THEATREGOERS
First published in 1982, Rod Campbell's Dear Zoo has become a much-loved children's book. Its bold illustrations, repetitive story and lift-the-flap format have introduced generations of young readers to its colourful collection of animals. The book has sold more than eight million copies worldwide and remains a popular choice for young children more than 40 years after it was first published.
The familiar story has now made the leap from page to stage with Dear Zoo Live, which comes to Lowry, Salford from Tuesday 11th to Sunday 16th August 2026. Combining puppetry, music and plenty of audience interaction, the production has a running time of approximately 55 minutes with no interval.
Although my children are probably a little older than the show's main preschool audience, they both still love the book and were very excited to see how such a familiar story would be brought to life on stage.
The production stays close to Rod Campbell's original story, following Ben and his friend Sally after Ben writes to the zoo asking them to send him a pet.
Zookeeper Sam soon begins arriving with a series of deliveries, but finding the perfect pet proves more difficult than expected. One by one, different animals arrive from the zoo, only for each to be unsuitable for one reason or another, until the perfect pet finally arrives.
The familiar repetitive structure of the book works particularly well with a young theatre audience. Each new delivery creates a little moment of anticipation as another brightly coloured crate appears on stage. Many of the children clearly knew which animal was coming next, but that seemed to make them even more excited to see how each one would be revealed.
Rather than expecting its young audience to simply sit and watch, the production regularly encourages them to become part of the story. Children are invited to count flowers, sing and copy actions, stretch up tall like a giraffe, roar like a lion and hop like a frog.
Leo particularly enjoyed jumping up and down like the frog, while Alice enthusiastically joined in with the lion's roar. One of the biggest responses came whenever everyone was encouraged to shout the familiar line, "I sent him back!"
These interactive moments are easy for even very young children to follow and help keep them involved throughout the story.
The colourful set is one of the strongest parts of Dear Zoo Live and immediately brings the familiar illustrations from Rod Campbell's book to mind.
Before the performance even begins, a giant version of the Dear Zoo book dominates the centre of the stage. It immediately caught Leo's attention as we entered the auditorium, with him excitedly pointing out, "Look, it's a giant book." It is a great introduction to the show and immediately makes it feel as though you are stepping inside the book.
The garden setting continues this storybook style, with illustrated brick walls, flowers and plants creating a colourful backdrop. Everything has the same bold, flat appearance as the illustrations, helping to make the world instantly recognisable for children who already know the book.
The animal crates are particularly well designed. Each has its own size, shape and colour, with little details giving clues about the animal hidden inside. The giraffe arrives in an extremely tall green crate marked "FRAGILE", the lion appears from a bright red crate marked "DANGER!", while the elephant's enormous yellow crate is labelled "VERY HEAVY!"
The way the animals appear from behind and inside the boxes is also a clever way of recreating the excitement of lifting the flaps in the original book.
Different techniques are used to bring the animals to life, which gives the show plenty of visual variety. Some of the larger animals keep the illustrated appearance of the book and emerge from their individual crates, while the snake and eventual perfect puppy are puppets. The frog and mischievous monkey are brought to life through full costumes, allowing them to move around the stage and interact more directly with the cast.
This variety worked particularly well for Alice and Leo. Alice's favourites were the snake and puppy puppets, while Leo preferred the much more energetic frog and monkey.
The costumes worn by Ben, Sally and Zookeeper Sam are equally bright and colourful and fit well with the storybook setting. The lighting keeps everything bright, allowing the bold set and animals to remain the focus.
Music is used throughout, with short songs accompanying different parts of the story and giving the audience more opportunities to join in. The songs themselves aren't particularly memorable, but they are easy to follow and suit the preschool age group the production is mainly aimed at.
Marcus Jones as Ben and Jennifer Peters as Sally work extremely well together. Although both are adults, Jones and Peters are believable as the young Ben and Sally, capturing their excitement and curiosity without making the performances feel too exaggerated.
Jones brings plenty of enthusiasm to Ben as he waits to discover which animal the zoo has sent next, while Peters brings a similarly bright and playful energy to Sally. The pair work well together and make Ben and Sally's friendship believable.
Tom Lloyd-Kendall is equally engaging as Sam the Zookeeper. He brings plenty of energy to the role, particularly as he arrives with each new delivery and builds the excitement around which animal might be hiding inside.
All three performers are very good at communicating with their young audience. Instructions are clear and easy to follow, whether the children are being asked to count, sing, roar like a lion or jump like a frog. The cast make joining in feel like an important part of the show, and their energy helps keep the young audience engaged throughout.
They also handle the repetitive structure well. Each delivery follows a similar pattern, but the cast's reactions, physical comedy and interaction with the animals mean there is always something new for the children to watch.
Dear Zoo at Lowry stays very close to the book that so many children already know and love, and that's one of its biggest strengths. The familiar animals, colourful crates and repeated phrases are all there, but puppetry, music and audience interaction give the story a new life on stage.
The colourful design is particularly successful, with the oversized crates and illustrated animals making it feel as though the pages of Dear Zoo have opened up in front of the audience. The combination of puppets, costumed characters, songs and regular interaction gives children plenty to watch and, importantly, plenty to do.
At approximately 55 minutes with no interval, the production is well paced for its predominantly preschool audience, moving quickly from one animal to the next while regularly giving children another opportunity to join in.
Alice and Leo may now be towards the older end of the audience for Dear Zoo, but they were still fully involved in the experience, particularly when they could roar, jump and shout along with a story they already knew so well.
For younger children who love the book, Dear Zoo Live offers the excitement of seeing those familiar animals appear in front of them. Its short running time, clear storytelling and plenty of opportunities to join in also make it a great choice for a child's first visit to the theatre.
Colourful, familiar and wonderfully interactive, Dear Zoo brings the excitement of lifting those famous flaps to life on stage.
Dear Zoo will be at The Lowry until Sunday 16th August 2026. Tickets are available using the link below.
For more information about the production, including tour dates and show details, visit the official website below.
Photo Credit - The Lowry
*Our tickets for this show were kindly gifted in exchange for an honest review.
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