Stiles and Drewe’s new family musical, The Three Little Pigs opens at the Unicorn Theatre for an autumn run before trotting off to Chichester Festival Theatre for the festive period. We follow piglets Bar, Bee, and Q as they leave the sty behind to build their homes of hay, sticks, and bricks. But can they outwit the huffing, puffing—and surprisingly charming—Big Bad Wolf?
The piglets (Iona Crampton, Joe Thompson-Oubari and Sam Mellows) burst onto the stage with energy and sparkle, telling their origin story with flair. While some of the early musical numbers slightly slow the pace (Teddy and I got a bit twitchy waiting for the house-building action), fans of musical theatre will likely be happy to wallow in the catchy tunes.
The Wolf’s entrance was a show-stealer. With a deliciously dry wit and a touch of derangement, Jack Wilkinson had the audience—young and old—howling with laughter. The show thrives on audience interaction adding a panto-esque sparkle at times.
Of course, the real fun begins when the Wolf gets huffing and puffing. Cue collapsing houses, clever piggy plans, and big musical numbers. The production does this iconic fairytale moment justice – we were thoroughly entertained!
The set and costumes (designed by Emma Bailey) are vibrant and full of character, though I couldn’t help feeling the pigs themselves were a tad hard to root for. But perhaps that’s the point—these aren’t your average fairy tale swine. They’re on a journey of growth, and that emotional arc adds depth alongside the laughs.
With its catchy tunes, colourful chaos, and just enough wolfish charm, this show is set to be a festive hit when it lands at Chichester this December.
Perfect for ages 3–7, The Three Little Pigs runs at the Unicorn Theatre before trotting over to Chichester Festival Theatre’s Minerva Theatre from 6–28 December. We were gifted tickets to the press performance on 7 October at The Unicorn Theatre.
Image credit: Danny Kaan