Ruby Flew Too! Stage Show

I took the train to Wellingborough yesterday to see a performance of the Ruby Flew Too! stage show by Topsy Turvy Theatre. The show is based on the picture book illustrated by Rebecca Harry. Although Topsy Turvy have been performing the show since 2011, I hadn’t managed to see it before now.

I’ve been in contact with Topsy Turvy's Artistic Director and performer, Claire Alizon Hills, for several years but we’d not met in person, so it was lovely to have lunch with her and co-performer Anna Kelner before seeing the show. Claire has a passion for children’s theatre and founded Topsy Turvy after working with other children’s theatre companies. Ruby Flew Too! was Topsy Turvy’s very first production.

After lunch I got to have a quick look around the beautiful set …

… and here’s me with Claire and Anna just before the show started. 

The show uses a mixture of comic performance, catchy songs, charming puppetry and playful audience interaction to tell Ruby's story.

This photo shows Claire with the show’s
co-creator and performer Rachel Priest.

Despite being squirted with water and bopped on the head by low-flying ducklings (or possibly because of this) the young audience I watched it with obviously enjoyed the show as much as I did.

CLICK HERE to find out more about the production or CLICK HERE for current tour dates and links to the venues sites where you can book tickets.

Mole and Ruby on the Road!

I’ve been fortunate to have had two of my picture books adapted for the stage in the last couple of years and both productions are about to go on tour.

Ruby Flew Too!, has been adapted by Topsy Turvy Theatre. Topsy Turvy is a Yorkshire-based children’s theatre company founded in 2010 and Ruby Flew Too! was their first ever show. They’ve done another show, The Lost Present, since but are bringing Ruby back for another tour starting at Burnley Youth Theatre on Tuesday 19th February. I didn’t catch the show when it first came out, but I’m planning to see it this time around and am really looking forward to it.

The company have made this video which shows them fooling around hard at work rehearsing for the show.

CLICK HERE to find out more about the production or CLICK HERE for current tour dates and links to the venues sites where you can book tickets.

After a successful Christmas run at The Pleasance in London, Peaceful Lion Productions are taking their adaptation of Bringing Down the Moon on tour. You can see some photos of the show in my earlier blog post here and read what I thought of the show (I loved it) here. Here’s another of Pamela Raith's photo's of the show.

The Bringing Down the Moon tour starts on Saturday 16th February at Salisbury Playhouse.

CLICK HERE to find out more about the production and see a list of current tour dates with links for booking tickets.


I’ve never had any of my books adapted for the stage before, so it’s lovely to have two shows touring at once.