Animal Magic: Tale of Tinga Tinga Lion brings wildlife to stage at Rose Theatre (From Wimbledon Guardian)

Animal Magic: Tale of Tinga Tinga Lion brings wildlife to stage at Rose Theatre, Kingston

8:00am Saturday 17th November 2012 in Freetime

A traditional East African welcome is promised at the Rose Theatre this weekend, writes Ross Logan.

How Lion Became King of Tinga Tinga Land is a family-friendly interactive show, which combines well-known nursery rhymes with a host of colourful characters from the Maasai Mara in Kenya.

Written by Ian Lauchlan, creator of CBeebies show the Tweenies, the show follows Wise Old Bird Banjoko, who goes in search of an animal worthy of becoming king of Tinga Tinga Land.

On his journey he encounters cheeky monkey Maliki, kindly giraffe Gowon, groovy zebra Zalika and proud lion Lutalo, as five performers and two drummers lead the audience through a fun-packed routine of singing, dancing, puppetry and even drawing.

Families will learn about the characters and hear their stories, while being encouraged to sing songs, play drums, learn dances and take part in group activities.

Although the songs are well known family favourites, they have all been given a new African twist. The animal stories are all based on traditional East African tales.

The younger audience members are encouraged to turn up dressed as their favourite animal, with masks available to buy on the day.

How Lion Became King of Tinga Tinga Land; Rose Theatre, High Street, Kingston, Sunday, November 18 (two afternoon performances) and Monday, November 19, 11am. Suitable for children aged three to 11. For tickets call 08444 821556 or visit rosetheatrekingston.org.