The Press and Journal (Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire)
It’ s sure to be a Fun Day Out for all
Go the whole hog as Peppa Pig live show heads for HMT stage
remember Peppa Pig being on television,” says actor Adam Dick. “I was aware of it as a cultural reference – I knew who Daddy Pig was. So when the job came through to play him I was like: ‘Oh, this is quite cool. I’m playing a character that’s iconic.’”
The Dunfermline actor is talking about his role in the new touring live show Peppa Pig: Fun Day Out!, which is coming to Aberdeen during the school holidays.
As the name suggests, the story sees Peppa, her brother George and parents Mummy and Daddy Pig go on a day out to the zoo and the beach.
Created by British company Astley Baker Davies in 2004, the original television show has now clocked up around 400 episodes.
“Finding the voice is the most important thing for Daddy Pig, because he has a certain sound,” says Adam of the character voiced on the TV series by actor Richard Ridings.
“Getting my head around the key phrases he has from the show is always a good starting point for finding him on show days. Especially being Scottish, and with his English accent. I remember the audition and being told: ‘It’s good, but he’s Scottish.’
“That was when I figured out exactly what he sounds like.”
The live show closely follows the clever and relatable style of a programme that even parents love to watch alongside their enthralled children.
“You can tell the guys who produce the show really care about it,” says Adam. “There’s care in the way the characters look, and the art design looks very much like the show – the bus is exactly the same. It’s truly something to behold.”
This is one of Adam’s first big roles in theatre, and despite the size of the costume he has to wear, it’s the kind of job most actors would love – guaranteed work for many months in a high-profile touring production filled with beloved characters.
“I started out doing youth theatre shows in Dunfermline,” says Adam. “I remember seeing my mate in one of his high school performances and thinking it looked fun, so because he had done it, I gave it a go.
“I was lucky enough to go to East 15 Acting School in London, which is hard to get into. This was in the Covid years, so it was nice to be doing something while acting was at a standstill.
“That’s how I ended up living down in London.
“This is the first show of this scale I’ve been in,” he continues. “I’ve done little things, but this is the biggest so far, and it’s great.
“You get to work with puppets and you get to see the kids’ reactions – it’s unlike anything I’ve ever done and probably unlike anything I’ll ever do.
“I mean, it’s almost like a rock concert sometimes, with the kids’ reactions. It’s truly indescribable.”
Adam explains what Peppa show audiences should expect to see.
“It’s mainly puppet characters,” he says. “The adult characters – Daddy and Mummy Pig and Miss Rabbit – are skin costumes, akin to what you would see at Disney World.
“Then the kids are largescale puppets, operated by puppeteers and actors on the stage.
“It’s got that iconic look of the cartoon, so the audience sees Peppa physically come to life.”
Adam’s comparison of the show to a rock concert raises an intriguing point – when he arrives on stage as one of the most beloved characters of a young generation, surely the adulation must be a lovely experience for any actor?
“It is,” he laughs, “but sometimes kids can be the toughest critics. They have that innocence – we’ve had times where you can hear kids shout out when they realise how a puppet works, for example.
“Sometimes that catches you off guard, but they’re usually truly enthralled, which is nice, because for most kids it’s their first theatre experience.
“A child’s pantomime is a good way to describe it, and to see the awe and wonder on kids’ faces when something they’re used to seeing on screen appears before them is really nice.”
■ Peppa Pig: Fun Day Out! is at His Majesty’s Theatre, Aberdeen, on July 17 and 18. See peppapiglive.com for more information and aberdeenperforming arts.com for tickets.