Selladoor Worldwide and Theatre Royal Plymouth’s brand-new tour of the smash-hit family favourite Madagascar The Musical is opening at New Theatre Oxford.
The Madagascar The Musical tour, which opened at the Theatre Royal in Plymouth on 20 October 2023, has visited Cheltenham, Peterborough, Aylesbury and Sunderland in the Autumn and, after an international visit to Monaco, Hong Kong and Singapore, returned to the UK in February to play Manchester, Bradford, Blackpool, Birmingham, Grimsby, and Dublin.
Following the visit to Oxford this April, the tour will go on to visit Stoke, Dartford, Cardiff, Newcastle, Northampton, Nottingham, Southend, Glasgow and Aberdeen. Further venues and casting information will be announced.
Based on the smash DreamWorks animated motion picture, Madagascar – The Musical follows all of your favourite crack-a-lackin’ friends as they escape from their home in New York’s Central Park Zoo and find themselves on an unexpected journey to the madcap world of King Julien’s Madagascar.
★★★★ “A joke-filled night of puppetry, whimsical humour and dazzling design” —What’s On stage
★★★★ “Crack-a-lackin feel-good family show” —Manchester Evening News
Alex the Lion is the king of the urban jungle, the main attraction at New York’s Central Park Zoo. He and his best friends – Marty the zebra, Melman the giraffe and Gloria the hippo – have spent their whole lives in blissful captivity before an admiring public and with regular meals provided for them.
Not content to leave well enough alone, Marty lets his curiosity get the better of him and makes his escape – with the help of some prodigious penguins – to explore the world.
This wacky adventure for the whole family is brought to life by Selladoor Worldwide, the producers behind ‘Guess How Much I Love You’, ‘Mr Men and Little Miss’, ‘Footloose and Fame’, who toured Madagascar the Musical to huge critical acclaim in 2018/2019 as a co-production with Theatre Royal Plymouth.
Popular TV Presenter, theatre performer and Strictly finalist Karim Zeroual leads the cast of the brand-new UK tour as the hilarious King Julien.
Best known for anchoring CBBC and reaching the final of Strictly Come Dancing in 2019. We spoke to Karim in rehearsals about taking on the role of everyone’s favourite eccentric lemur!
How are rehearsals going?
It’s going really well, I’m having so much fun. I think the best thing is I’m working with such a talented cast. It’s been a long time since I’ve done musical theatre, really since I was a kid. I’ve done panto and a few dance tours, but not the full shebang! I’m loving being back onstage acting, singing and dancing with some incredible human beings. They are definitely keeping me on my toes, and I’m loving every second.
I love the process of rehearsals, too. We are all watching each other performances and really enjoying them – the cast is so supportive, and it’s great to be in a room with so much creativity. It’s a real privilege.
How do you feel about taking on the iconic role of King Julien?
I’m hugely excited, and it feels like a real honour. I’ve not seen the stage show before, although I know and love the films, so it’s quite nice to bring my own twist to the role. I have been honing in on what King Julien might actually be like as a human – which may sound a bit ‘method’, but I’m trying to get some insight into what he is like and why, and how he has pulled together this ‘crew’ where whatever he says goes! There is a sense of responsibility in bringing to life a character that everyone knows so well and loves, which is a little bit scary, too, but I think I’m doing a good job so far!
King Julien is such fun to play. There’s a lot of room for playing with the character and improvisation, which is great. I also get to perform arguably the most iconic song from the show, “Move it Move it”. It’s a real laugh. It kind of feels like a mini rave on stage! I feel very privileged to have this part and, to be honest, I think it’s really well suited to me.
Are you telling us there is a little bit of King Julien in you?
I’m not sure I want to say, but I think there actually is you know! I’m quite small and look like a lemur…(haha kidding). He can be a little flamboyant and a bit cheeky and naughty and thinks he’s right all the time, so I think some traits, yes, maybe just a hint…!
I also play Zeke at the start of the show. He is like a zookeeper who introduces all the animals. That feels a bit like a home from home for me, as it’s something I have done all my career as a presenter, which is really nice. Playing a human role, I’m able to show a little bit more of ‘me’ – although in character. It’s great to play these two separate parts – one which is more like me and the other where I’m really in character and hardly recognizable.
Yes, as King Julien, we would hardly know it’s you! Are you looking forward to getting your lemur on?
That will be the cherry on the top. The costumes in this show are just amazing. As we speak, I’ve not been in full costume, but I can’t wait to get it on, as that’s when the character will really come to life for me. I go all out in the rehearsal room and give it everything I can, but once the makeup and the costume come on, that’s when King Julien will really come to life for me.
Without giving too much away, you are having to test your dancing skills again – this time on your knees?
Haha, yes, I have been rehearsing on my knees. I have kneepads, and I’m sure by the end of the tour, I will build a bit of resilience and have the toughest knees in the world of musical theatre!
When King Julien appears, it’s a real ‘moment’, which marks a gear change in the show as the Zoosters find themselves thrown into this crazy new world of Madagascar, having been used to the creature comforts of the Zoo and are surrounded by these non-conforming animals who are just wild! It’s hilarious as all the other cast towers over me, and he is just this mad, delusional lemur thinking and behaving as if he is the king of the universe even though he’s only about 3 feet tall…
Do you think he is your favourite character in the show?
He is amazing, and I have some great lines and fun scenes. But honestly, all of the characters in the show are brilliant. They are all so individual and all bring something totally different to the stage, much as the characters in the film. Each character has something really special about them. No one really outshines anyone else. I have to say though, the Penguins are hilarious… they really are.
What are you looking forward to most about touring?
I’m most excited to be on the stage, performing live and, hopefully, really getting the audience going! There is no feeling like performing on stage. I love TV and have done it for a long time. It’s one of many passions, but there is no feeling like being on stage and having that immediate reaction from an audience.
To be able to take this incredible show up and down the country and internationally is awesome. We get to visit some fantastic places, and the lovely thing about touring is that each audience in each city is like a new show for us. You get a whole new buzz.
Speaking of audiences, who do you think will enjoy Madagascar?
This is a show for everyone – it is a family show, but I think there is something for everyone. There are some cheeky parts, and King Julien definitely has some of those moments. Also, everyone knows and loves the film. Every generation still knows it, and it’s always popping up on TV and streaming services! So, to see some of these iconic characters played out in real life is just fantastic. The concept and characters never seem to get old.
So, aside from getting to “Move it Move it” with King Julien, why do you think people should come and see the show?
Genuinely, this show has everything; superb singing, dancing, and acting, alongside the most beautiful costumes and amazing puppetry work. It’s colourful, it’s bright, and it’s funny, and the talent on the stage is incredible. If you want a good night out and to have a really good laugh and leave the theatre with a smile on your face this is for you. It’s a show for all the family – whether you come with your Grandma, Great Grandma, Kids, Nieces, Nephews or a group of friends, I guarantee you will have a great night.
Madagascar The Musical is directed by award-winning Kirk Jameson with choreography from Fabian Aloise, Musical Supervision from Mark Crossland, Puppet Design by Max Humphries and Puppet Direction from Emma Brunton.
Stuart Glover, Producer of Madagascar for Selladoor, said: “Audiences have been going wild for Madagascar across the globe since we first toured in 2018 and we’re delighted to bring the musical back to the stage for audiences in the UK and Ireland. It’s the perfect treat for the whole family!”
Join Karim and his Zooster friends Alex the Lion, Marty the Zebra, Melman the Giraffe, Gloria the hip hip Hippo and those hilarious, plotting penguins as they bound onto stage in the musical adventure of a lifetime. Filled with outlandish characters, adventure galore and an upbeat score, you’ll have no choice but to “Move It, Move It!”
