THE Tiger Who Came to Tea is celebrating 12 years on stage and over 50 years as Britain’s best-loved picture book and the musical adaptation will be heading to Basingstoke this week.

The show, which has been directed by David Wood, will be heading to The Haymarket on February 4 to February 6.

The Tiger Who Came to Tea is a short children’s story, first published by HarperCollins in 1968, written and illustrated by Judith Kerr. The book tells the story of a girl called Sophie, her mother, and a tiger who invites himself to their afternoon tea and consumes all the food and drink they have.

David Wood is undisputedly the country’s leading writer and director of plays and musicals for children. His many successes include The Gingerbread Man, The Witches and Babe the Sheep Pig.

David said that the story is still a hit with children, even after 50 years.

He said: “Children identify with Sophie, the child protagonist, and the familiar domestic situation of family meal times.

“Children enjoy stories with animals and food, and the arrival of the Tiger and his enjoyment of all the food on offer, is both amusing and intriguing.

“The surreal nature of the story undoubtedly adds to the enjoyment. And a night time stroll through the streets to a café for a tasty supper is an exciting novelty.”

He said he loves to be in the audience when they witness the excitement when the Tiger arrives for the first time.

He added: “The children see him before Mummy and Sophie, and love telling them about this unlikely visitor.

“The line, ‘he drank all the water in the tap’ is the line that most people remember, and I’m no exception.”

During the show, audiences can join the tea-guzzling tiger and it is promised to be a delightful family show, which is packed with oodles of magic, sing-a-long songs and clumsy chaos.

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David said he hopes the songs are catchy and appealing to young children and loves that they further help to tell the story.

He added: “I aim to tell the story with clarity, striving to retain the interest and emotional involvement of the children.

“I don’t worry too much about the adults. If the children enjoy the performance, the adults will.

“One of my aims, when writing and directing, is to create ‘lots of suddenlies’. These are moments of excitement or revelation that change and progress the story.”

David continued: “It was one of both my daughters’ favourite book, and my wife and I never tired of reading it to them.”

For more information visit: www.anvilarts.org.uk.

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