Blippi: The Musical – Apollo Theatre, Shaftesbury Avenue

For the very first time, the well-loved character Blippi hits the stage in the UK for only three weeks from 16th August until the 4th September.

Spanning a variety of media platforms, Blippi has become the soundtrack to many childrens’, and subsequently families’, lives since his inception in 2014.

The character Blippi was created, and originally played, by Stevin John before Clayton Grimm took over in May 2021 and is whom we saw today.

The show follows Blippi and his buddies in their quest to fix the Party Machine, whilst having a variety of detours courtesy of their vast array of friends in need of help.

Even though the show is targeted at families and for ages 2+, I went in with an open mind and was ready to review it with a focus on the kids’ enjoyment more than my own – as I am not the target market.

The theatre itself was packed with families kitted out in their Blippi outfits and brimming with excited children ready to sing, dance and clap along. Out of their three weeks, almost every show is sold out, and even those with availability only have one or two scattered seats in the auditorium.

For 70 minutes, Blippi takes to the stage with his five Blippi buddies that act as a variety of characters including farmers, Mo The Mechanic and even dinosaurs.

Though the show doesn’t have an interval it does have a brief 3-minute break where kids can get up and let off steam for a little while before getting ready to focus again.

From the criminally catchy ‘Transportation Song’ to the well-known ‘Excavator Song’ the show was overflowing with high-energy dance performances and enthusiastic info-dumps from the leading man.

The office may have The Scarn, but this show has The Blippi.

This entire production is light-hearted family fun with a smattering of education that had children laughing and cheering in delight as their beloved character came to life onstage.

Clayton Grimm performs with unbridled joy and positivity, donning the trademark ensemble comprising of orange glasses, suspenders and bowtie with a blue shirt and an orange and blue segmented cap that he is famous for.

A firm favourite with the crowd was the roar-some fun Dinosaur song where the children were encouraged to roar to teach Rex, the T-Rex, how to roar again, whilst simultaneously learning interesting details about a variety of other species.

The five Blippi Buddies also seemed to be having the time of their lives for every moment they were onstage, whether they were dressed as farmers, dinosaurs, or even Blippi himself!

Alongside the Dinosaur song, my personal favourite was the ‘Take a break’ song where Blippi instructs everyone to listen to their body and take a break when they need it, something that I’m sure everyone in the audience needed a reminder of.

It’s clear to see why Blippi has become such a phenomenon for families as everyone in that theatre looked like they were having so much fun.

If you’re hoping to catch Blippi on his trip, then keep checking the Nimax website as there seem to be returns daily and you might be able to grab one.

It’s a must-see for anyone with young children during the summer holidays.

Reviewer: Ely King

Reviewed: 20th August 2022

North West End UK Rating: ★★★★