Young Monty has a gift. He’s got imagination and a way with creating things. So when he finds a book called ‘Inventions Very Rare’, he takes the next natural step and ka-boom: there are monsters everywhere.
And now that the young genius has made his own little tribe, once the novelty has worn out, he feels a sense of surprise: what will he do with all these creatures?
In Monstersaurus, a West End musical treat that plays at Madinat Theatre, Dubai on May 10 and 11 and at the Abu Dhabi Theatre on May 12, Monty must come up with a plan for his new friends.
Alex Ellison, who plays the young genius, says the show has “lots of surprises and lots of laughter. It’s an hour of full-on fun that begins the moment you walk into the theatre and doesn’t end till you’ve gone.”
Based on the bestselling book of the same name by Claire Freedman and Ben Cort, Monstersaurus zips and zags though the road of creativity — and boundless mayhem. Ellison says the production has some important lessons for everyone. “It’s all about having fun and being creative. Monty is an inventor and he creates these monsters who become his friends and teach him about the world.”
The show comes at an opportune time, when kids are increasingly being seen to have shortening attention spans.
“In a time where kids are given electronic devices as entertainment, it’s so important to remind them [the children] of live theatre. For a lot of kids, Monstersaurus is their first time in the theatre and I am very grateful that we can be the start of something so creative for them.”
The conclusion drawn so far is promising; post show, enraptured and in love with the show, youthful fans come a-running, inhibitions unstirred, to talk about their lives and “how they love monsters too”.
But the dynamism of the play must be kept in check — “you have to do something interesting every 30 seconds or their attention starts to drift!”.
This is not to say you’ll be stifling yawns throughout the tale, however.
“A big part of the enjoyment for the adults is having things you can take away and repeat with your kids and giving them interesting things to talk about. Adults will find the relationship between Monty and his mum all too familiar and there are jokes for the adults thrown in too. It really is a family show and we love it when everyone gets involved as it keeps the magic alive for the kids!”
The question now is just this: Are you ready to meet a monster?
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Don’t miss it!
Tickets for ‘Monstersaurus’, at Madinat Theatre, Dubai, on May 10-11 and at the Abu Dhabi Theatre May 12 start at Dh100.
