Dora the Explorer Live! Dora’s Pirate Adventure
DIRECTOR: Theresa Borg
VENUE: Emperors Palace (until July 12); Grand West Casino (until July 17)
RATING: 3 stars (out of 5)
LATOYA NEWMAN
DORA The Explorer makes her African stage debut with Dora the Explorer Live! Dora’s Pirate Adventure.
With best friend Boots and cousin Diego, the trio set off on an adventure to recapture their treasure which has been stolen.
And who do you call when you don’t know which way to go? .. The Map! … Yep, he’s here to and of course trusty Backpack… on the backpack loaded up with things and knickknack's too, anything that you might need she’s got inside for you…
And so the fun begins.
The adventure takes the audience on a on a voyage of discovery as they embark on an journey to Treasure Island for the “ultimate pirate party”.
Through the show’s interactive format children are invited to help the crew navigate the Dancing Mountain and over the Silly Singing Bridge.
The animated, moving props ensure loads of lifelike fun and excitement in the audience.
Along the way, little fans get to exercise their map-reading, counting, musical and language skills to successfully help Dora and crew reach Treasure Island. So much like the very popular TV show, the stage show too merges education and entertainment.
The giant sized puppets are a treat for the kids as they seem to bring Dora and her friends to life. This, against the backdrop of a mix of audio-visual screens to change from one scene to the next, and the animated moving props, keep the show moving fast – which is important to keep little ones focused and engaged.
That said, in Durban the show ran at the huge ICC Arena venue and unless you sat near the stage, you were basically watching the show off video on a screen, which I can imagine wouldn’t have been as effective or as much fun as having all the action rolling out in front of you – especially if you’re a little child.
Perhaps a smaller venue (and longer running time) for a show like this should be considered so that every child gets to enjoy seeing Dora live, and not off a screen – which they do at home anyway with the TV show.
Dora the Explorer Live! Dora’s Pirate Adventure runs at Emperors Palace, Johannesburg (until 12 July) and the Grand Arena, Grand West Casino, in Cape Town (15 to 17 July).
Tickets for Dora’s Pirate Adventure are on sale at Computicket outlets, on www.computicket.com or 0861 915 8000 and at Checkers and Shoprite stores nationwide. Tickets are also available at the Emperor’s Palace Box Office and the Box Office at Grand West Casino. Tickets are priced R185 to R385 (no charge for children under 1). Group discounts are available for parties of 5 or more. Wheelchair access available.