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‘Peppa Pig’ has high production values Making a Splash
By John Benson
Jonathan Shank has vivid memories as a kid of going to see Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “Starlight Express” on Broadway. Today as a producer of national touring children’s productions, it’s this memory that Shank is trying to live up to.
“It was incredible, with all of the movement and the costumes,” said Shank, calling from Los Angeles. “Certainly, we’re trying to capture some of that magic in any of these children productions. These days, tickets are a lot more expensive, so the production needs to follow suit.”
That’s the kind of excitement and showmanship Shank said audiences can expect from the first stateside tour of live-action show “Peppa Pig’s Big Splash,” which comes to Packard Music Hall in Warren on Sunday for a 2 p.m. show.
The production is based on the popular Nick Jr. show “Peppa Pig,” which revolves around the adventures of the loveable titular character along with brother George, Mummy Pig and Daddy Pig. Peppa’s favorite things include playing games, dressing up, spending days outdoors and jumping in muddy puddles.
As far as the live show, “Peppa Pig’s Big Splash” finds the nursery roof leaking, with Peppa and her friends Danny Dog, Pedro Pony and Suzy Sheep working together to correct the problem. Naturally, the preschool set will enjoy what is designed as a fully immersive musical production featuring a dozen familiar and original songs, as well as an interactive sing-a-long, the live stage show and jumping in muddy puddles.
The “Peppa Pig” phenomenon started in the U.K., where there have been numerous incarnations of the live-action tour. It was only after the show started airing to large ratings stateside that Shank explored bringing the tour to America.
Though the script for “Peppa Pig’s Big Splash” remains the same, the current tour boasts a bigger set with brand-new life-size puppets and costumed characters.
“Of course, you want it to become memories for the child, but also for the parents as well,” Shank said. “Certainly, one of the charms of the ‘Peppa Pig’ world is it’s palatable for parents as well as something that they really buy into as far as being cute and good natured and simple.
“Listen, the end game or the goal, really, is for everybody to walk out and feel that they’ve had an incredible experience being up close with one of their favorite characters.”
About those muddy puddles – Shank dismissed the notion of setting up such hurdles around theater aisles so children can have added fun.
“That could be a liability,” Shank said. “But we definitely have a puddle-jumping contest happening on stage with the characters as part of the show.”
Referring back to his “Starlight Express” experience, any chance Webber will re-invent the “Peppa Pig” world and bring it to Broadway?
“Not in the plans at the moment, but there have been a lot of things I’ve noticed happening with the ‘Peppa’ brand, so you never know,” Shank said, laughing.