Animal magic will make for a wonderful outdoor theatre finale at Lytham Hall

An animal extravaganza will be the finale to the open air theatre season at Lytham Hall in the summer.
Lytham HallLytham Hall
Lytham Hall

Popular outdoor company Illyria stages its production of The Adventures of Dr Dolittle on Bank Holiday Sunday, August 26 and are promising a host of animal characters, including the mythical two-headed PushmiPullyu.

The 13 Dr Dolittle books were written by Hugh Lofting between 1920 and 1952, and were adapted for the cinema with Rex Harrison, in 1967, and Eddie Murphy, in 1998, in the title role.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Illyria drew the largest audience of their 80-date nationwide tour to Lytham Hall for their performance of The Emperor’s New Clothes last August, and artistic director Oliver Grey is already looking forward to returning to the town.

“It will be a major challenge adapting [these stories] for the stage and I am sure the Lytham audience, especially the children, will enjoy the chance to engage with the actors,” he said.

Open air theatre organiser Julian Wilde feels Illyria’s acclaimed inventiveness is sure to produce an eye-catching show, adding: “The books and films with characters such as Polynesia the Parrot and Too-Too the Owl, not to mention the amazing PushmiPullyu, are immensely appealing to children and this kind of show is right up Illyria’s street.

“I think it will make a wonderful finale.”

Related topics: