Ellen Couzens enjoys a touch of Disney magic with a holiday visit to The Forum Bath
Summer holidays means there’s so much to choose from to keep the children entertained. Even so, the chance to see a Disney classic backed by a full live orchestra stood out among all of the other must-dos.
This special event took place at The Forum Bath, a great venue offering a wide range of upcoming shows, including bands and singers from Alfie Boe to the Waterboys live in concert, comedians including Adrian Edmondson and Phil wang, and more fun for families with Andy and the Odd Socks on 21 October and Spiderman into the Spiderverse on 1 November, again with a live orchestra.
My companions for the show were Helen and Susy and their foster mum Becky (names changed), all enjoying their first visit to the Forum. Right from the start, the atmosphere was welcoming and relaxed. A great example of this was during the second half when lots of the very youngest members of the audience were starting to struggle with sitting still. Instead of having to keep quiet and still, they were welcomed to come down to the open area in front of the stage, and lie out on the floor or move around as they watched the film.
For Helen and Susy, and many of the other children, it was just so exciting to see a huge orchestra come out onto the stage and take their place for the film. What an amazing opportunity for children to see all of the different instruments that make up an orchestra, with my couple particularly loving the two huge harps and the brilliant percussion section.
They also loved that the orchestra members was dressed up in evening attired and looking so smart.
If you haven’t had the chance to see Encanto, it’s set in Columbia and tells the story of the Madrigal family whose members are all bestowed with magical powers, everyone that is except Mirabel. The Madrigal’s all live in a magically, enchanted house and their magical powers keep the family and the village strong and thriving.
Then one day, cracks start to appear in the house and the family come to realise that the magic that was keeping them together is failing. Fate determines that only Mirabel can save her family’s magic and she sets out to discover why her house and family are falling apart.
Any visit to the theatre or the cinema is exciting, but when you can combine the two, with a live orchestra too, this becomes something very special. While the girls enjoyed the whole visit, their favourite bit was right at the end when the orchestra played over the end titles and many of the children came to the front, along with a good few parents, to dance and clap along to the up-tempo finale melody.
To find out about more upcoming events at the The Forum Bath, go to www.bathforum.co.uk