LAStheatre's puppet musical plays Elliott Hall on Sunday 27 September at 12.30pm and 3.30pm. Tickets from £14, 50 minutes with no interval, ages 3 and up.
A touring puppet musical for small children stops in Hatch End this month. The Littlest Yak plays Harrow Arts Centre on Sunday 27 September, with two performances at 12.30pm and 3.30pm, in the Elliott Hall on Uxbridge Road. Tickets start at £14 and the show runs 50 minutes with no interval, according to the Arts Centre’s listing.
The production comes from LAStheatre, which is bringing it to Harrow as part of a UK tour. It is a stage adaptation of Lu Fraser and Kate Hindley’s picture book about Gertie, a yak in a hurry to grow up. The company’s publicist sent the details to Harrow Today this week, with an invitation to families across Harrow, Hatch End, Pinner, Northwood and the rest of north west London.
What the show is
Here is how the production describes itself, in the words the company sent us:
“This musical adaptation of the award-winning children’s book will delight audiences young and old with beautiful puppets, catchy tunes and an uplifting tale of self-acceptance for all the family.
“Gertie is great at being THE LITTLEST YAK, with the CURLIEST, WHIRLIEST wool and the GRIPPIEST of hooves for clip-clopping up cliffs. Only, Gertie doesn’t want to be the littlest. She’s in a rush to grow up and be just like THE BIG YAKS. But what if there are some things that only a GERTIE can do?
“A gorgeous story celebrating YOU being perfect…just the way you are!”
The same text appears on the Arts Centre’s own event page. The company adds that the show is “particularly suited to children aged 3+” and that its length “makes for an ideal first theatre experience for younger children”. LAStheatre’s tour page gives the same age guidance, “Recommended 3yrs+”, and says the production was “Nominated for four OffWestEnd Awards: Best Performance, Writing, Music & Design”.
The creative team, as listed by the company:
- book, lyrics and direction: Barra Collins
- music: Joseph Hardy
- set, costume and puppet design: Alison Alexander
- lighting design: Cheng Keng
- producer: Liz Bate
LAStheatre is a social enterprise, registered as LAS THEATRE C.I.C., company number 08052556. Harrow is one stop on the tour: the company’s page lists the Radlett Centre on 25 and 26 September, immediately before the Harrow date, and further UK venues after it.
Booking, and the small print
Tickets are £14 through the Harrow Arts Centre website or the box office on 020 3773 7161. Groups of 10 or more get 15% off. A £1 non-refundable booking fee applies per transaction, and the checkout offers an optional “Secure My Booking” protection at £1.75 per ticket, which you do not have to take.
One discrepancy worth knowing before you plan the afternoon. The venue listing gives the running time as 50 minutes with no interval. The tour’s own press information says approximately 45 minutes. Either way it is under an hour, and the two performances are three hours apart.
What it means for you
If you have a child around three or four, this is pitched squarely at a first trip to the theatre: short, no interval, puppets, and a matinee slot rather than an evening one. The 12.30pm performance is the one to pick if a nap follows.
If you are coming from elsewhere in the borough, the Elliott Hall is at 171 Uxbridge Road, Hatch End, HA5 4EA, a few minutes’ walk from Hatch End station on the London Overground’s Lioness line. Our Harrow train times page has the service pattern.
If you are booking for a group, the 15% discount starts at 10 tickets, so two families going together will not reach it but a nursery or a birthday party might. Access seats are booked by phone with the box office.
For other family days out in the borough this month, see our things to do in Harrow page.
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