The Monkey With No Bum Theatre Production

During lockdown Asa Murphy wrote the book The Monkey with no Bum, a fun story with an important message. It is a tale about a monkey who wants a new “better” bum so that he will be liked by others but due to the love and encouragement of his parents he realises that he doesn’t actually need a new bum as there is nothing wrong with his, he is fine just the way he is. When Asa created this book he wanted to get the message across to children that each and everyone of them is perfect in their own way and that no one needs to change to fit in to society, a message that was well-received with parents and resulted in The Monkey with no Bum becoming a huge success. Due to the popularity of the book Charlie the monkey is now going on tour and the book is being brought to life on stage in a musical adaptation and below you can read our full review having watched the performance at The Gladstone Theatre in Port Sunlight.

What to expect

The musical adaptation of the book is a one hour, three man show. There is Mr. Plop the head teacher of Jungle school played by Asa Murphy himself, Miss Jolly the teacher played by Lynn Fitzgerald and of course Charlie the monkey played by Brendan McCaffrey. The show lasts about an hour and is set in a classroom where Miss Jolly reads the book, The Monkey with no Bum to the class but Charlie the monkey keeps popping up to interrupt her and burst in to song and dance encouraging the audience to join in.

Our review of The Monkey with no Bum

If your little ones loves the book The Monkey with no Bum then they will absolutely love the musical version and if your child hasn’t read the book yet but loves a good bum joke, likes to dance or is a fan of monkeys then they too will fit right in.

As a family we loved the show, my two year old daughter especially. She was happy to watch and even happier to get involved with all the dancing and singing at every opportunity. My 10 year old also enjoyed it but he did say it was a little young for him, although he didn’t take his eyes off the stage from start to finish. Personally I would say it is the perfect show for those aged between 2-6 but older siblings will still enjoy it even if they are too cool to get up and shake their bum in public!

It is laugh out loud funny with lots of bum related jokes and is engaging from start to finish with lots of audience participation encouraged, including the opportunity for four special guests to go up on stage and really get involved.

If you haven’t yet visited the theatre with your little ones and are a bit worried about doing so then this would be the perfect first show. It is a very relaxed environment full of parents and children all in the same boat, children are talking and singing and getting up and down and dancing in the isle and that’s fine. The Monkey with no Bum only lasts about an hour which is just longer enough for the younger family members to stay focused so grab your tickets today.