REVIEW - ROALD DAHL'S THE ENORMOUS CROCODILE THE MUSICAL | THE LOWRY | 14/12/2025
- Sarah Monaghan
- 12 minutes ago
- 4 min read
🐊 THE ENORMOUS CROCODILE AT THE LOWRY – A SNAPPY JUNGLE ADVENTURE THAT GETS LITTLE AUDIENCES ROARING WITH DELIGHT
The Enormous Crocodile at The Lowry slithers onto the Lyric Stage this festive season, running from 10 December 2025 to 4 January 2026. Produced by Roald Dahl Story Company, Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre and Leeds Playhouse, this joyful musical adaptation is based on Roald Dahl’s much-loved 1978 picture book and has already delighted audiences during acclaimed runs across the UK.
Developed and directed by Emily Lim, the production features toe-tapping music by Ahmed Abdullahi Gallab, a playful book and lyrics by Suhayla El-Bushra, with additional music and lyrics by Tom Brady. Designed firmly with children in mind, this bite-sized musical offers a wonderfully accessible introduction to theatre while still delivering plenty of creativity and charm.
The jungle’s greediest resident has a bold plan: for lunch, he would quite like “a nice juicy little child.” What follows is a series of “secret plans and clever tricks” as the Enormous Crocodile disguises himself in increasingly inventive ways in an attempt to catch his meal.
Thankfully, the other jungle animals are always watching. Each plan is foiled in turn, with the story gently exploring ideas of bravery, teamwork and speaking up — all delivered with humour and a lightness that never feels heavy-handed.
Both Alice (8) and Leo (6) were completely absorbed throughout. Alice quickly declared Muggle Wump the Monkey her favourite, while Leo laughed the hardest when the Crocodile pretended to be a tree to trick one of the children. The comedy is perfectly pitched — cheeky, playful and just daring enough without ever being genuinely scary.
The magic of The Enormous Crocodile at The Lowry begins before the show even starts. The auditorium is already bathed in soft jungle lighting, bubbles float gently through the air, and performers move through the audience with delicate fly puppets, stopping to interact with children and invite them into the story. It’s a calm, welcoming introduction that immediately builds excitement — Alice and Leo were utterly captivated, watching the bubbles drift overhead and following the tiny puppets as they passed by.
Once the show gets underway, Fly Davis’s bold set and costume design transforms the Lyric Theatre into a vibrant jungle world. The colours are rich and playful, creating an environment that feels exciting without ever being overwhelming for younger audience members.
The puppetry, designed by Toby Olié and co-designed and supervised by Daisy Beattie, is a standout throughout. Alongside the animal characters, the production also uses child puppets, where the puppet body is paired with the puppeteer’s own head as the child’s head. It’s a striking design choice at first, but it very quickly becomes part of the show’s visual language, fitting naturally into the playful, storybook world.
Audience interaction is woven into the performance beautifully. Children are encouraged to shout out warnings, respond to questions and help the jungle animals outwit the Crocodile. During one of the songs, simple actions are taught, allowing young audience members to move along with the music. Leo loved knowing exactly when to shout, while Alice happily copied the actions — participation that feels inclusive, confidence-boosting and genuinely fun.
One of the biggest highlights is the moment where the audience is invited to throw prop nuts at the Crocodile, which went down an absolute storm and added to the sense that this is a show being created with its audience, not just performed to them.
The music is lively, rhythmic and easy to follow, helping to drive the story forward while keeping energy levels high from start to finish.
The cast deliver a hugely engaging performance, seamlessly combining acting, singing and puppetry throughout. Chelsea Da Silva is deliciously mischievous as the Enormous Crocodile, capturing his swagger and silliness while keeping the character playful rather than frightening. Her performance anchors the show, leading the energy and interaction with confidence and warmth.
Precious Abimbola brings humour and heart to Trunky the Elephant, quickly becoming a firm favourite with Leo, while Jordan Eskeisa is wonderfully expressive as Humpy Rumpy the Hippopotamus, adding both comedy and charm. Ciara Hudson shines as the alert and lively Roly Poly Bird, and Marienella Phillips is an absolute joy as Muggle Wump the Monkey, instantly winning Alice over with her playful energy and physical storytelling.
Together, the ensemble work beautifully, constantly shifting between characters, puppets and musical moments while keeping young audiences fully engaged from start to finish.
The Enormous Crocodile at The Lowry is a bright, joyful and brilliantly engaging piece of family theatre that understands exactly how children experience a show. From the gentle pre-show interaction and floating bubbles to the lively songs, imaginative puppetry and constant invitation to join in, young audience members are welcomed, respected and fully included throughout.
As the show comes to an end and the bubbles return once more, the auditorium fills with laughter, chatter and excited retellings of favourite moments. Alice and Leo came out buzzing — replaying the tricks, the shouting and, of course, the nut-throwing — which is always the clearest sign that a children’s show has truly landed.
This is theatre that builds confidence, sparks imagination and makes children feel part of the magic.
A snaptastic jungle adventure packed with puppetry, participation and pure family joy.🌟🐊
The Enormous Crocodile will be showing at The Lowry until Sunday, 4th January 2026. Tickets are available for purchase through the link provided below.
For more information about the show, please click the button below to visit the official website.
Photo Credit - Danny Kaan
*Our tickets for this show were kindly gifted in exchange for an honest review.