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Madagascar musical set for Belfast adventure

X Factor winner Matt Terry leads the cast in Madagscar The Musical
X Factor winner Matt Terry leads the cast in Madagscar The Musical X Factor winner Matt Terry leads the cast in Madagscar The Musical

THIS Easter, Belfast audiences can join Alex the lion, Marty the zebra, Melman the giraffe, Gloria the hippo and those penguin geniuses Skipper, Kowalski, Private and Rico in the stage musical of the popular DreamWorks animated movie Madagascar.

Leading the cast in the role of Alex is X-Factor winner Matt Terry. The 2016 champion of the popular television talent show followed his top three debut single with his debut album Trouble in November 2017. He then returned to his first love of musical theatre, where he'd trained as as a teen.

Having firmly established itself as a family favourite film with two sequels, Madagascar – The Musical features songs from the film, including the popular I Like To Move It Move It, weaved together with catchy new tunes, colourful sets, costumes and puppets.

For anyone who hasn't seen the films, the story follows a group of animal friends from the New York Zoo who escape to find their freedom in the wild. However, through a series of unfortunate events, they end up on a container ship, which is wrecked in the southern seas.

They are washed up on the island of Madagascar where they meet King Julian, the hyperactive and egotistical King of the Lemurs, with a hilarious accent and a penchant for busting some seriously booty-shaking dance moves.

"I'm having such an amazing time touring in Madagascar the Musical, the audiences have been fantastic," says Matt, who is enjoying playing the charismatic, cheeky lion.

"The show brings together everything you will know and love from the Dreamworks film with an immense score and amazing sets, costumes and puppets,"

:: Madagascar The Musical runs at Belfast's Grand Opera House From April 23 to 27. Tickets at Goh.co.uk.