"Children may wish the birds were real, but Nick Barnes’s ingenious life-size puppets may be the next-best thing. Those endearing creatures steal the show...Unfortunately, this staging doesn’t include the Poppers’ two children, who might have provided some welcome nonavian action. But the show does offer visual surprises and often involves its young audience...Children under 9 will most appreciate the show...It never soars, but its cuteness is hard to resist."
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"Director Emma Earle presents fun that actually delivers for the whole family...In Earle’s capable hands, 'Mr. Popper’s Penguins' shines as a show that kept the kids in the audience enthralled without forgetting about their parents...Music by composer Luke Bateman and lyricist Richy Hughes helped the show pop, capturing at once the show’s yearning, love, and whimsy...The show’s puppet makers create a sparkling and adorable solution that brightens the stage."
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"'Mr. Popper's Penguins' is a mini-musical that's short and perfect for introducing young kids to musicals...Clocking in at 55 minutes, the show is perfectly suited for four-year-olds and up. Older kids, ages 8 or 9, will also find it amusing...The musical numbers perfectly match the story and atmosphere and the penguin puppets are absolutely adorable."
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"It’s a show recommended for children ages 4 to 7, and I would say that’s pretty accurate. My son is approaching 9, but he loved every minute of it…so you might be able to push the age range a little. For the little ones, it may be a tad slow at the onset but that changes rapidly when the first penguin appears...The hit of the whole show being the theme song itself: 'Mr. Popper’s Penguins.' It will stick in your head (I’m humming it now) and make you think of Broadway."
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"A string of witty 1950s-influenced songs adds extra theatrical magic to an increasingly zany narrative that celebrates the triumph of imagination over conformity. Emma Earle’s swiftly moving, clearly articulated production offers visual delights too, especially seeing a totally convincing cast gradually change the set from the homely predictability of a world where everyone is expected to fit in, to an anarchic penguin-filled one…A show that radiates warmth throughout."
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