THIS rather fabulous dragon needs no introduction. Or at least, he doesn't if you have had young children at any point since the best-selling book bearing his name was released back in 2010.
He's another Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler favourite, who became a Christmas TV star in 2018, and perfectly lends himself to the theatrical.
A supremely talented cast of just five to bring his story to life. But with the delightful characters including four dragons, a knight, a princess, two doctors, an owl, rabbits, crows and squirrels, you could be forgiven for thinking there were at least triple the number of actors on stage.
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They excel at singing, dancing, puppetry, and making a sold out audience of little people laugh during an energetic and entertainining one hour show.
I'm knocking on the door of 45 and this isn't aimed at me, but I still enjoyed it immensely, enjoying the clever insertions to transform a short bedtime story into a full-blown and enjoyable production. My five-year-old daughter and even her eight-year-old sister, probably the oldest child in the audience, were full of smiles, jigging along to the catchy tunes, and giggling at the cheesy jokes.
Accident prone Zog enrols in dragon school to learn 'all the things dragons need to know' like flying, breathing fire, capturing princesses and fighting knights while attempting to secure an elusive golden star.
Princess Pearl, who prefers the stethoscope to the crown, once again patches him up after a half hearted bout with Sir Gadabout the Great, who would rather throw some shapes on the dancefloor than head into battle, and the trio form an unlikely alliance to travel the world and handily set up the sequel, Zog and the Flying Doctors.
Among the favourite moments in this lovely show were a rhyme about burps, a clever spelling song, a wonderful scene where all the dragons learn to fly and take to the sky, and several surreptitious appearances from other Julia Donaldson characters, like Tabby McTat.
It's upbeat, heart-warming, full of fun, and teaches the audience to take risks, learn new things and have courage. And that's an important lesson in life, whether you're five or 45.
Zog is at MAST MAyflower Studios until Wednesday. Tickets from mayflowerstudios.org.uk
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