''Mr Gum and the Dancing Bear - the Musical!'' is a children's

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film and television, a genre of film and television that incorporates into the narr ...

with book and lyrics by

Andy Stanton Andy Joel Stanton (born 14 November 1973) is an English children's writer. He is best known for writing the ''Mr Gum'' series (illustrated by David Tazzyman), through which he made a popular contribution to children's literature. Stanton's wr ...

and music by Jim Fortune, based on Stanton's children's book of the same name (as part of the ''Mr Gum'' series).

Production

National Theatre world premiere (2019)

The musical premiered in the Dorfman Theatre at the

National Theatre, London The Royal National Theatre in London, commonly known as the National Theatre (NT), is one of the United Kingdom's three most prominent publicly funded performing arts venues, alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal Opera House. I ...

, beginning previews from 25 July with a press night on 31 July, running until 31 August 2019. The production was directed by Amy Hodge with set and costume designs by Georgia Lowe, musical direction by Tarek Merchant, lighting design by Lee Curran, choreography by Fleur Darkin, sound design by Carolyn Downing and puppetry by Jimmy Grimes. The musical is recommended for ages 7+ and runs for 2 hours (including an interval). The production received a nomination for Best Family Show at the 2020 Laurence Olivier Awards.

Cast and characters

Critical Reception

The musical has received five star reviews from ''The Stage'' and ''The Times'' and four star reviews from ''Time Out'', and ''The Sunday Times''.

Awards and nominations

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2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...

Laurence Olivier Awards The Laurence Olivier Awards, or simply the Olivier Awards, are presented annually by the Society of London Theatre to recognise excellence in professional theatre in London at an annual ceremony in the capital. The awards were originally known as ...

, Best Family Show , {{nom

References

2019 musicals British musicals Musicals based on novels