Get ready to meet Bob the Builder, Little Princess, Noddy, Fireman Sam, Shimmer and Shine and more

“The Milkshake! audience will love the classic fairytale storylines, the songs and seeing lots of their favourite Milkshake! characters live on stage.”

Milkshake! Live, The Magic Storybook, stars Milkshake! favourites Bob the Builder, Little Princess, Noddy, Fireman Sam, Shimmer and Shine, Pip Ahoy!, Winnie and Wilbur, Wissper as well as Milkshake! Monkey and two Milkshake! presenters.

The show will take audiences on a journey through their favourite fairytales featuring much-loved stories that will be familiar to everyone – young and old. With music, singing and dancing, Milkshake! Live, The Magic Storybook is the fourth nationwide live tour from Channel 5’s Milkshake!

“It’s incredibly important that we are able to take Milkshake! to our audiences around the UK so that everyone can have the opportunity to experience the brand in an immersive way,” said Sarah Muller, head

of children’s programming at Channel 5.

“Through our live tours, we can give families a Milkshake! event that they won’t find anywhere else, one where they can meet their favourite characters and presenters whilst enjoying a brilliant family day out.”

Find out more about Milkshake! Live ‘The Magic Story Book’ by visiting facebook.com/milkshakelive/ or by following the tour on twitter @milkshaketour or Instagram @milkshakelive.

Tickets are available from the box office on 01733 306071.

Also this week:

The Ugly Duckling

The Key Theatre, today May 25, at 2pm, 4pm and 6pm

Based on the famous Hans Christian Andersen fairytale, The Ugly Duckling tells the story of a lonely duckling, ignored by those around her who think she is too ugly to fit in. This child-friendly 40 minute ballet follows her journey as she comes to learn that she was beautiful all along. It has been created especially for children and their families to experience live dance, music and theatre together.

vivacity.org

The Little Mermaid

The Broadway, tonight May 25 at 7.30pm

Join Ballet Theatre UK on this dramatic re-telling of Hans Christian Andersen’s all-time favourite story of The Little Mermaid, who falls in love with a human Prince and gives up everything to win his love. The kind -hearted Little Mermaid rescues the Prince during a storm at sea, and begins a journey that takes her far from her home beneath the waves. Determined to pursue her love on to the shore, she makes a bargain with an evil Sea Witch, but it comes at a heavy price.

broadwaypeterborough.co.uk

The Owl and the Pussycat

Key Theatre Studio, May 30

Join Owly-cat and fellow family members, Jumblie and Quangle Wangle Quee, in a story inspired by the nonsense world of Edward Lear. The spongetaneous trio travel to the dolomphious land where the bong tree grows, learning all about the creatures who live there and their curious habits. Will this meloobious family return together, will they always be a three?

A fizzgiggious show by Full House Theatre all about where, what and who our family really are.

Age guidance: 3+

vivacity.org

AND JUST DOWN THE ROAD.....

The Band

Royal and Derngate, Northampton, May 29 to June 9

The UK tour of Tim Firth’s new smash-hit musical, The Band, with the music of Take That, comes to Northampton’s Royal & Derngate for a two-week run, from Tuesday.

Written by the award-winning Firth, The Band is a new musical about what it’s like to grow up with a boyband.

For five 16 year-old friends in 1992, ‘the band’ is everything.

Then 25 years on, we are reunited with the group of friends, now 40-something women, as they try once more to fulfil their dream of meeting their heroes, whose music became the soundtrack to their lives.

The Band features the music of Take That, Britain’s most successful boyband of all time, whose songs include Never Forget, Back for Good, A Million Love Songs, Greatest Day, The Flood, Relight My Fire, Shine and Rule the World.

The Band is played by AJ Bentley, Nick Carsberg, Curtis T Johns, Yazdan Qafouri and Sario

Solomon, who, as Five To Five, won BBC’s Let It Shine.

The Band is directed by Kim Gavin and Jack Ryder and produced by David Pugh and Dafydd Rogers

and Gary Barlow, Howard Donald, Mark Owen and Robbie Williams.

Tickets from the Box Office on 01604 624811 or online at www.royalandderngate.co.uk.

Legally Blonde The Musical

Milton Keynes Theatre, May 28 -June 2

The smash hit Broadway and West End Musical based on the best loved movie follows beautiful and popular sorority sister Elle Woods who loves to be pampered and is passionate about pink. When she is dumped by her boyfriend Warner Huntingdon III for a more serious girlfriend, she puts down the credit cards and picks up the books. Packing up her trusty pooch, Bruiser, she bags herself a place at the prestigious Harvard Law School to try and win him back. With the support of her new friends she learns that you can be both smart and fashionable.

Rita Simons stars as Paulette Bonafonte and is best known for playing Roxy Mitchell in BBC’s EastEnders.

Lucie Jones, who represented the UK at the Eurovision Song Contest with ‘Never Give Up On You’ and recently starred as Maureen in the 20th Anniversary tour of Rent, plays Elle Woods.

And playing Professor Callahan is Bill Ward, who is best known for his work on two of the country’s leading soaps, Emmerdale and Coronation Street, but is no stranger to the stage.