One of the most entertaining things about watching The Queen’s Knickers at the Southbank Centre was listening to my 7-year-old chortling all the way through it.
‘This is so silly,’ he kept muttering to himself and, halfway through he turns to me — ‘this show is hilarious, Mum!’
I wouldn’t call it riotously funny but there was a fair amount of giggling amongst young and old from start to finish. The title alone, based on the best-selling book by Nicholas Allan, is enough to make anyone grin.
When the Queen’s undies go missing (her laundry basket gets mistaken for a royal picnic basket), it’s treated as a national emergency. A heady mix of characters (all convincingly brought to life by the 2 actresses) get caught up in the mayhem, with appearances by army and navy officers, the Prime Minister and of course, HRH herself.
The Queen’s Knickers is great fun, laced with very (ahem) cheeky humour and it made a brilliant start to our first day at the Imagine Children’s Festival.
After the show, we had lunch at the Real Food Market (behind the Royal Festival Hall) that has specially extended opening hours throughout half-term week.
The boys had a mild chicken curry and rice while I tucked into a totally delicious, vegetarian mash-up from street food fave, Horn OK Please! I’ll have to do a full review of them soon as this is the 2nd time I’ve eaten their food and it only gets better.
As we wandered back around to the Southbank promenade, Ezra cries out ‘Look, a dinosaur!’
Sure enough, a huge dino was stomping about, roaring loud and causing pandemonium. Close up, you could see the human legs under the giant dino costume, but that didn’t stop adults as well as kids taking to their heels when it chased us!
I also got to stroke a dino baby being carried around by its keeper.
These lifelike creatures were escapees from another show in the festival, Dinosaur Petting Zoo and I thought they were seriously cool.
Jed had a ride on the Kiddy Cars and then, inside the Clore Ballroom, he got to help keep the party going at a Bicycle Powered Disco.
This was just a taster of the Imagine Children’s Festival that continues throughout half-term. Don’t miss it!
The Queen’s Knickers is playing at 10.30am & 12.30pm (£10 adult/£5 child) in the Purcell Room, Queen Elizabeth Hall at Southbank Centre as part of Imagine Children’s Festival until Feb 22.
Imagine Children’s Festival runs until Feb 24 at Southbank Centre, Belvedere Rd, SE1 (Waterloo/Embankment tube)
This looks superb fun…I actually got broody looking at Baby Dino…he’s too cute. The Queen’s knickers sounds like fun too! Thanks for sharing this (P.S Was a bit scared of the dinasaur..bet O would love it though). Mama’s a wimp!
Ha ha, you would definitely have been running from that dino then! Really fab event x