Olivier award – nominated space adventure ‘The Smeds and The Smoos’ lands at Salford’s Lowry this October half term

Tall Stories’ Olivier Award-nominated space adventure ‘The Smeds and The Smoos’ lands at Salford’s Lowry this October half term, running from Monday 27 October to Saturday 1 November.

Featuring cute and hilarious aliens, a rocket chase across distant planets, and the imaginative magic of puppetry and song, the show is directed by Toby Mitchell and produced by the multi–Olivier Award-nominated company behind ‘The Gruffalo’, ‘The Gruffalo’s Child’ and ‘Room on the Broom’. Adapted from the award-winning book by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler, this joyful intergalactic tale promises fun for the whole family.

The last remaining tickets are available now from thelowry.com.

The cast includes Felicia Akin-Tayo (Janet), Patrick Bridgman (Grandfather Smed), Abbey Norman (Grandmother Smoo), Antony Lam (Bill).

‘The Smeds and The Smoos’ tells the story of two rival groups of aliens living on a far-off planet. The Smeds (who are red) and the Smoos (who are blue) do not get along and mistrust each other, telling their children to never play with one another. So, when a young Smed and a young Smoo fall in love and zoom off into space together, how will their families get them back?

With the imaginative magic of puppetry, songs and humour that Tall Stories is known for, ‘The Smeds and The Smoos’ transports the whole family, age 3 and up, into space – with playful interactions and unique ‘try it at home’ storytelling. The show explores important themes of acceptance, understanding differences, friendship and disrupting stereotypes in a laughter-filled, engaging way that resonates with young audiences.

Directed by Artistic Director and co-founder of Tall Stories Toby Mitchell, ‘The Smeds and The Smoos’ was nominated for a prestigious Olivier Award for Best Family Show in 2024.

Toby Mitchell, Artistic Director, Tall Stories, said: “When we heard that a new book by the dynamic duo that is Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler was going to be like Romeo and Juliet with aliens – and have a happy ending, Tall Stories co-founder Olivia Jacobs and I knew we wanted to put that story on stage. We had great fun adapting ‘The Smeds and The Smoos’, to bring people together through the brilliant story and to get our young audiences and their families squealing with laughter. Come and join us for joy, jam and… jumping!”

Julia Donaldson said: “I loved the show – the brilliantly alien set and lighting, the energetic acting and the wonderful puppets. My favourite was the Lurgle!”

Axel Scheffler said: “It was lovely to find out a lot more about the life of the Smeds and the Smoos and all the other life forms on their far away planets in this delightful play by the Tall Stories team. Space travel for the whole family – at its best!” 

This production is an interplanetary adventure for everyone aged 3 and up with music, laughs, and puppetry. It has been adapted by Tall Stories, who created the stage versions of ‘The Gruffalo’ and ‘The Snail and the Whale’.

The Smeds and The Smoos plays at The Lowry. Tickets are available here.