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Dr Dolittle
Long before Harry Potter was impressing children with his Parseltongue stylings, another hero of children's literature was talking to all manner of exotic animals.
Of course Dr Dolittle is a much more skilled linguist than his child wizard equivalent and he proved he could delight children just as much when he appeared at The Mayflower last night.
Tommy Steele is the latest incarnation of Hugh Lofting's doctor and dominates the show with his strong stage presence.
The Leslie Bricusse musical features a huge company of singers, dancers and puppeteers, with a backdrop of lavish sets, impressive effects and well-known songs.
As most will already know, the plot sees the world-renowned vet set off from his home in Puddleby-on-the-Marsh in search of the Great Pink Sea Snail.
| The show managed to be family fun without veering into madcap farce | | Simon Carr |
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On his journey he chews the cud with a two-headed lama called Pushmi-pullyu and exchanges pleasantries with a two-headed giant moon moth.
The audience enjoyed the most popular songs, including If I Could Talk to the Animals, I've Never Seen Anything Like It and My Friend The Doctor, but with so many young children in the audience the overall score could have benefited from a judicious edit.
The impressive show managed, for all its silliness, to be family fun without veering into the irritating territory of madcap farce.
The show runs until Saturday and tickets can be bought from the box office on 02380 711811.
Dr Dolittle
The Mayflower, Southampton
7:41am Wednesday 25th June 2008
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