Anna Hibiscus' Song

York’s Theatre Royal was bursting with joy this weekend as ‘Anna Hibiscus’ Song’ danced into town with style and jubilance. The performance left children and adults alike with beaming smiles of pure happiness as the cast sang, drummed, danced and cheered their way through the touching and heartfelt story of a little girl from Africa. Based in Nigeria, the show centres around a little girl called Anna Hibiscus who is so full of happiness that she is ‘going to explode’ which leads Anna in a search of how she can express all of this happiness.

There are many important lessons to be learned for children and adults alike from the story which unfolds from there. The fifty minute run time is paced perfectly, it is neither too fast to be kept up with or too slow for people to drift away. The cast perform with real spontaneity and an authentic joy that permeates throughout every small interaction, dance, song and joke throughout the entire performance. To single out individual performers for praise would be unfair because every single cast member performed with such energy and passion. The cast clearly finds great joy in not just performing but performing together and this spirit permeates throughout the entire production.

Perhaps the most powerful indication of just how brilliant ‘Anna Hibiscus’ Song’ is was the infectious and wholesome joy that was painted on all of the children’s faces in the audience. The magic of theatre can leave a lasting impression on children from such a young age and the cast performed like they not only understood this, but lived for this opportunity to share such wonder and joy. There was countless small moments that made the children in the audience feel special whilst being sure to not force participation. The smiles of children never lie and one look upon their faces showed just how much happiness was being shared in the theatre during the performance.

During such divided times, it is especially beautiful to see different cultures and communities coming together to share stories that are as much about universal topics as they are about giving us all an opportunity to learn a little bit about each other. ‘Anna Hibiscus’ Song’ is touring cities such as Berwick, Bedford, Doncaster, Oxford, Edinburgh and London until October 13th. There will also be a performance for online streaming on October 20th. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to discover your true happiness this Autumn.