The Very Hungry Caterpillar Show returns to the stage this year

The Very Hungry Caterpillar Show will play two socially distanced runs this autumn and winter.

The special stage show will run at London’s artsdepot from October 24 to 27, and at Hertford Theatre from December 12 to January 3.

A theatrical recreation of Eric Carle’s beautifully imaginative stories, The Very Hungry Caterpillar Show has become a global sensation.

Four master puppeteers weave their way through Eric Carle’s stories, bringing to life a menagerie of 75 enchanting puppets in a magical show that faithfully recreates the wonderfully colourful world of Carle’s illustrations.

Audiences will be socially distanced, and all the latest government advice will be followed to make The Very Hungry Caterpillar Show as safe and enjoyable as ever.

The artsdepot run will feature the classic line-up of Brown Bear, Brown Bear, 10 Little Rubber Ducks, The Very Lonely Firefly and, of course, The Very Hungry Caterpillar. The Hertford Theatre run is a never-before-seen Christmas Show which replaces The Very Lonely Firefly with the festive tale Dream Snow.

Tickets and more information are available online here.

Eric Carle’s books have captivated generations of readers with their iconic hand-painted illustrations and distinctively simple stories, introducing millions of children to a bigger, brighter world, and to their first experience of reading itself. Carle has illustrated more than seventy books, most of which he also wrote, and more than 132 million copies of his books have sold around the world.

His best-known work, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, has nibbled its way into the hearts of millions of children all over the world, and in 2019 celebrated its 50th Anniversary. Since it was first published in 1969 it has been translated into 62 languages and sold over 43 million copies, remaining one of the top ten bestselling children’s books of all time.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar Show first premiered in Australia in 2015 before opening in New York at the Acorn Theatre in January 2016. The New York production broke box office records and attracted celebrities with families including Chelsea Clinton, Emily Blunt, Neil Patrick Harris and Diane Sawyer. The show had its West End premiere at the Ambassadors Theatre in December 2016 and has since played multiple seasons in London and across the UK.

Picture: Pamela Raith Photography