Review: A Squash and a Squeeze at Lowry, Salford

“…fantastic, amazing and funny…”

A Squash and a Squeeze by Julia Donaldson, Lowry, Salford

By Claire Walmsley

Julia Donaldson has always been a firm favourite in our house. Her books are easy to read, fun and ones you can enjoy time and time again. That’s why my daughter and I were quite excited to see A Squash and a Squeeze at the Lowry. We weren’t disappointed – it was brilliant!

The performance was in the smaller, more intimate Quays Theatre which was the perfect venue for a play for children. It meant we were all close to the action and everyone had a good view no matter where they sat.

Whilst the audience members were finding their seats, the wise old man (one of the characters) was mingling and interacting with the children. He was charming and fun – the children absolutely loved him. It was a nice touch and something that distracted the children from the inevitable “When is it starting?” question.

The story is quite a simple one, so it was easy for all ages to follow. It followed the book (even using lines from the text throughout) but each character was embellished a little and given more depth. The wise old man (portrayed by Chris Dobson) was the owner of  Easy Peasy Solutions and my daughter found him hilarious. She liked his silly solutions and joined in with his jingle enthusiastically. My personal favourite was the little old lady (played by Ruth Calkin) whose expressions, tone and mannerisms were spot on. Her increasing exasperation with the wise old man and her situation was brilliant.

If you’re familiar with the story, you’ll be aware that a lot of the characters are animals. These were cleverly crafted puppets, manipulated by Calkin, Dobson and Mark Esaias. Despite clearly being puppets, it was easy to forget they were being controlled as they all had personalities of their own and were expertly brought to life. They were also perfect representations of the Axel Scheffler’s illustrations from the book. I enjoyed how each animal was given a song (though my daughter preferred when they made animal noises rather than spoke!)

The set was the tiny house that opened and shut like a doll’s house so the scene could be either inside or outside. Again, it was astonishingly similar to the illustrations and it was just the right amount of scenery and props to add to the story without being distracting.

The story was a perfect mix of music, chaos and hilarity. There were a few points in the show (including a dance finale!) where audience participation was encouraged, keeping little ones engaged throughout. If you or your little one is sensitive to noise, it might be a bit too much. It wasn’t loud but there was a lot going on.

There were parts that I thought could have been a bit more succinct but it was short enough to keep the attention of my six-year-old and others in the audience.

I asked my daughter what her favourite part was and she said, “Everything”. Her three words to describe the show were: fantastic, amazing and funny.

It was a fun way to spend an hour and she has enjoyed telling everyone about it – even coming up with her own funny ideas to solve problems. It’s good to embrace the silly every now and again and laugh at the absurd. It was good for the soul.

A Squash and a Squeeze plays at Lowry, Salford until Sunday 24 August. Tickets are available here.

Claire Walmsley is a children’s author who pays the bills by teaching computer science to primary school pupils in Manchester. When she’s not writing, reading or fixing all the broken laptops at work, she likes to run and hike. As a long-term sufferer of Crohn’s Disease, she is always trying to inspire the next generation of chronic illness sufferers. You can find her first picture book here. Or follow Claire Walmsley – Children’s Author on all the socials.