Madagascar the Musical is a half-term treat at The Alhambra

Bradfordians looking for a colourful and entertaining show can look no further than a five-day run of Madagascar, a show which is based on the popular animated film of the same name.

A well-attended Wednesday evening performance saw crowds entertained with a show that featured colourful costumes, talented use of puppetry, and plenty of actors belting out catchy songs, none more so than the famous I Like To Move It.

The lemurs, led by Kind Julien, perform I Like To Move It. (Image: Phil Tragen)

Karim Zeroual, CBBC presenter and 2019 Strictly Come Dancing finalist, played the part of popular character King Julien, King of the lemurs.

He led two renditions of I Like To Move It, including a rocking version at the end of the show that had the audience clapping and dancing along.

Marty the zebra, played by Franciso Gomes. (Image: Phil Tragen)

The show was split into two approximately 40-minute acts. At the beginning, the crowd were introduced to the show’s main characters, Alex the lion, Marty the zebra, Gloria the hippo, and Melman the hypochondriac giraffe, all of whom start off at a zoo in New York City and end their journey on the island of Madagascar.

Marty, played by Francisco Gomes, longs to be in the wild, while Alex, Gloria and Melman are happy with their lot in life.

The hungry Alex the lion, played by Joseph Hewlett, sings in his famous scene about steak. (Image: Phil Tragen)

Gomes shows a talent for rap-style songs while Joseph Hewlett, who played Alex, really shines with rich vocals in the most powerful numbers.

The characters break out of the zoo with the help of some resourceful penguins, which leads to some comedy moments.

After the interval, the audience is introduced to the lemurs on Madagascar, who like the penguins, move around using puppetry.

Gloria, played by Jarneia Richard-Noel, and Melman, played by Joshua Oakes-Rodgers. (Image: Phil Tragen)

Connor Keetley was brilliant as the penguin Skipper and King Julien’s lemur assistant Maurice, and with the short stature of the king lemur, Karim had the audience wondering how he was able to move around the stage. Was he on his knees?

You have to give the costume designers credit, as the colourful outfits allowed the talented actors to dance along to their numbers.

A spokesperson for The Alhambra said: “It’s a nice colourful show for half-term."

Tickets are still available for Madagascar the Musical, but a spokesperson said that matinees are proving popular, so anyone who would like to book a seat should visit: bradford-theatres.co.uk

Madagascar the Musical runs until Sunday at The Alhambra.