The Enormous Crocodile at Aylesbury Waterside Theatre

He’s greedy, he’s grumptious, he’s beastly, he’s…BACK!

Following smash-hit runs at Leeds Playhouse in 2023 and Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre in 2024 and 2025, The Enormous Crocodile is weaving his way through the jungle to Aylesbury in search of delicious little fingers and squidgy, podgy knees. Only the other jungle creatures can foil his secret plans and clever tricks, but they’re going to have to find a large amount of courage to stop this greedy brute. Featuring a menagerie of mischievous puppets, rib-tickling rhymes and a leading man with a killer smile, the jungle awaits the bravest of children!

This is a musical re-imagining of the beloved book written by Roald Dahl and illustrated by Quentin Blake, which was first published on 1 November 1978. A picture book written for younger readers than Dahl’s other works, the story tells of a hungry crocodile who aims to eat human children via using various, not-quite-impenetrable disguises. It’s up to Humpy-Rumpy the hippopotamus, Trunky the elephant, Muggle Wump the monkey and the Roly-Poly Bird to thwart his plans and stop him from eating the children in the nearby village.

This colourful and vibrant production enjoys the addition of original toe-tapping tunes by Ahmed Abdullahi Gallab, a rib-tickling book and lyrics by Suhayla El-Bushra, and additional music and lyrics by Tom Brady. Developed and directed by Emily Lim, it features a menagerie of larger-than-life adaptive puppets by co-director and puppetry designer Toby Olié, with set and costume design by Fly Davis and puppetry co-designed and supervised by Daisy Beattie.

This was such a fun and immersive experience, with the action starting before the curtain was even officially up, as the multi-rolling cast took to the stalls to interact with the audience with small insect puppets, setting the scene for the audience participation ahead. As the show began, we were encouraged to sing and dance along, as well as ultimately helping to stop the villainous crocodile by pelting him with spongy peanuts, provided by our jungle friends, as he lumbered through the auditorium. The performance was both funny and sweet in equal measure and I would recommend it as a wonderful first theatre visit for any young theatre goer.

The Enormous Crocodile will continue to tour the UK as follows:

Visit www.enormouscrocodilemusical.com to snap up your tickets today for this wickedly funny musical adventure, perfect for the whole family!!! This production is recommended for ages 3+; under 3’s are permitted but all children aged 18+ months require their own ticket.