Who would have thought that a cartoon blue dog (complete with parents the rest of us mere mortals can only aspire to be half as good as) would become such a global phenomenon?
Yet here we all were, sat in a packed Cornwall Playhouse auditorium, waiting for a 4ft tall, real-life Bluey and her family to come out of the TV and on to the stage - and the excitement was palpable.
Yes, for those who STILL don't know, Bluey is most definitely a girl, despite the confusion caused by her being blue in colour - a reference to her Blue Heeler (Australian Cattle Dog) breed rather than any colour gender associations; come on people, this is 2024.
She also takes her colouring from her dad Bandit, while her sister Bingo is the same red-brown of their mum Chilli, showing you can inherit characteristics from both parents – and suddenly we’ve learnt about biology without even realising it.
Which is what Bluey does in such a special way; while our children are learning facts about life, as well as lessons such as being a good sibling and setting a good example, us adults are also left to reflect on our own parenting skills and how we approach situations.
It sounds insufferably ‘worthy’ on paper, but is in fact magical and what made it the number one series for preschoolers and kids in 2023, as well as the second most-streamed series across all audiences on Disney+ worldwide. In the UK, viewers watched 1.5 billion minutes of the show in a single week in January this year.
Can the essence of the show really translate onto stage though?
My smudged eyeliner as I write this will attest to the fact that yes, yes it does.
While Bluey’s Big Play won’t hit you in the feels quite as much as the infamous Baby Race or Space episodes, there are definitely points where parents in the audience will be getting something completely different out of it than their children in that moment.
The Bluey stage show story is a whole new ‘episode’ from creator Joe Brumm, which is said to also feature new music from Bluey composer Joff Bush – although I recognised plenty of the well known tunes from the TV version.
In summary, Bandit just wants to sit on his bean bag and look at his phone (admit it, we’ve all been there) but the girls want him to play. They hatch a plan to steal the phone and everyone learns a few lessons before it’s reunited with its rightful owner.
Hardcore fans will recognise elements from a number of episodes: there’s a bit of Copycat, a bit of Onesies and a segment with Bingo and a ‘walking leaf’ that has echoes of The Weekend.
It’s essentially an homage to the series to date (but done so much better than Disney’s 100th anniversary attempt with the film Wish – although that’s a whole different review).
Plenty of the show’s favourites make an appearance, including ‘magic xylophone’, ‘remote control Bingo’ and Chattermax turning the theatre into a kids’ disco momentarily.
Of course no Bluey show would be complete without an appearance from The Grannies (my personal favourite) – even Lucky’s Dad has a cameo, although thankfully no pass-the-parcel debates are necessary this time.
The stage version uses the same voice actors for Bluey and her family, while visually they are characterised by a group of talented puppeteers.
With a 50-minute run time it is the perfect length for little viewers, and cleverly ends with some audience interaction for those who may have been starting to fidget.
My daughter’s verdict appeared to sum up the feelings of the rest of the auditorium, glancing around: “I enjoyed that. I feel happy now!”
Given that this Easter holiday’s weather has arguably been the worst in the history of weather forecasting, why not spend an enjoyable hour out of the rain – and then go home to re-watch Bluey’s entire back catalogue for the rest of the day?
- Bluey’s Big Play live stage show at the Hall for Cornwall, Truro, runs until this Sunday, April 14, with two shows on Friday and three on both weekend days. Tickets start at £16 and go up to £29.
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