Scooby-Doo Live! Musical Mysteries at London Palladium

Following a successful American tour, Scooby-Doo and his gang make their London debut in a lively show involving a haunted theatre and a new mystery to be solved. Showing for a limited run, the musical is produced by Melbourne-based company Life Like Touring, whose experience in children’s shows spans over a decade. The canine hero’s West End adventure sees the Mystery Inc group – namely Shaggy, Daphne, Fred, Velma and the famous Great Dane, Scooby-Doo himself – take on a new investigative challenge.

When they receive a letter alerting them of the presence of a ghost in a famous theatre, the group decides to go and probe into the matter, choosing to pose as members of a rock band to disguise their mission. At the venue, they meet the manager Walt Warner and box office assistant Muriel, who are terrified of the mysterious phantom but also seem to be concealing important information.

Although the storyline is enriched with song and dance, it is perhaps not strong enough to capture adults and not so straight-forward as to be immediately understood by younger members of the audience. Nevertheless, the costumes and set design are spot-on, and the production is visually satisfying down to the smallest detail.

The musical numbers are certainly one of the highlights; they are well-spaced out and involve fun dance routines. The audience’s enthusiasm peaks, however, with the ghost’s apparitions. These cause waves of excitement as children shout out warnings to the oblivious characters. While initially effective, this element is somewhat overused in the course of the show, making the scenes seem repetitive towards the end. Even so, the delight of younger viewers is not lessened by the frequency of the visitations.

The Scooby-Doo series has many fans and playing such famed characters comes with a set of expectations, but the cast lives up to the challenge by giving solid performances as well as delivering vocally. Fun and upbeat, the show will entertain a younger audience and is a diverting new chapter to add to the Scooby-Doo saga.

Mersa Auda

Scooby-Doo Live! Musical Mysteries is at London Palladium from 18^th until 21^st August 2016. Book your tickets here.

Watch the teaser for Scooby-Doo Live! Musical Mysteries here: