" Review By Lucy Joy Lightfoot
Lichfield Festival
On Thursday 12th July, I went to see Michael Rosen perform on stage at the Garrick Theatre in Lichfield. When we arrived, we felt a very exciting atmosphere. It was a very plain stage. There was only a microphone, a chair and a table with a glass and a jug of water on it. The curtains were black.
After a few minutes waiting, Michael Rosen came on stage. He was very funny and I liked the way he told stories about things that had happened to him when he was little. He used brilliant facial expressions, voices and sound effects and just the right amount of nonsense! He taught us all the actions to his poems so that we could join in, which almost everyone in the audience of all ages did, giggling loudly all the time. I loved the one about the bendy toothbrush and I’ve just had to admit to my Mum that when I got home I went to the bathroom to see how bendy my toothbrush could be! At one point, someone in the audience threw a sweetie onto the stage for Michael because he saw them munching them in the front row.
I also liked the fact that when questions were allowed to be asked at the end, Michael didn’t rush them. He went on for about five minutes with stories to do with each question. The show went on for longer than it was meant to because Michael was giving such brilliant answers which led him off into more and more stories. It was also good that he did book signing afterwards, so that people had a chance to meet him. He spent lots of time with everyone even though there was a big queue. The boy in front of me had brought a poem he had written and Michael read it carefully and said it was very good. When it was my turn I had my photo taken with Michael and told him about being a Young Critic. He said he would read my review and put it on his blog – I hope he does!
Overall, I really enjoyed this performance. I have never been to see Michael Rosen perform on stage before, but if I ever get the chance to again, I’ll be sure to try to go. I would recommend his performances to anyone of any age and I gave this show five stars out of five."
