Today is the day Mrs McMoon is having her tea party, featuring several fresh batches of her legendary biscuits, and we’re all invited. However we aren’t going to be the only guests. As the collected friends and family of Mrs. McMoon begin to pile in, you soon realise that you’d better be prepared for the ensuing flood of mischief, squirrels and jelly.
Although Mrs McMoon’s Tea Party occasionally threatens to descends into sheer chaos, it manages to keep all of its balls in the air, ensuring an enjoyable performance for all.
This is a fun, energetic show and you could do far worse than to take your children to Mrs. McMoon’s Tea Party in the early afternoon. This said, while part of the show’s eclectic charm comes from its frantic pace, sometimes it comes at the cost of quality. It seems at times that the speed of the production threatens to overwhelm its actress, Katie Grace Cooper.
This is not to say that Cooper is not a versatile performer; playing four parts over the course of the hour, she manages to craft distinct characters who will very quickly send your children into fits of giggles. The issue is that the way in which the show necessitates incredibly short costume changes seems to occasionally leave the performer flustered, slightly dampening the madcap fun on offer for the rest of the performance.
This aside, the show is sure to be a hit with the younger audience members as well as parents. Songs about jelly, batty old Scottish grannies and magical biscuit making dances across a fantastic technicolour set, with more than a few secret nooks and crannies. Aimed firmly at the younger half of the children’s market, older children may not be as charmed as their younger siblings. Parents however may still find the show a relief from your typical CBeebies show. While Cooper primarily interacts with children, who appeared to relish the chance to figure out how to wake up a sleeping squirrel, a few jokes seem to go over their heads, perhaps meant more for her older viewers.
Although Mrs McMoon’s Tea Party occasionally threatens to descends into sheer chaos, it manages to keep all of its balls in the air, ensuring an enjoyable performance for all.
