With technology booming in the creative world, the argument is that some things should be left to blossom on its own, without high-tech interference. Some say a simple set and natural staging are more effective than a billion light cues. However sometimes the mix of great story-telling and fantastic, ground-breaking technology will merge together and create one unique, almost other-worldly experience, wowing all senses. 1927’s The Animals and Children Took to the Streets at National Theatre is one of those rare shows.

Blending live music, story-telling and performance, and beautiful film and animation sequences, The Animals and Children Took to the Streets welcomes you to the Bayou, a loathed and neglected part of the city where the infamous Bayou Mansions host all sorts of detested characters and the city’s feared gang of rebellious, uncontrollable children. At night they ravish and haunt the streets, and when a riot spreads to the nicer part of the city and the mayor’s cat is kidnapped, the upper class is determined to put an end to the riotous children and their complaints of being neglected in the abandoned Bayou.

The performance enchants you from the very beginning using beautiful animation, imaginatively using the space to expose the colourful characters of the Bayou. Using a haunting and rather catchy music score we travel through aural and visual wonder as the story unfolds, and the three female performers morph in and out of various characters, each with incredible stage presence, sense of detail and sensitivity. With a Tim Burton-ish feel to it, The Animals and Children Took to the Streets is a journey into a colourful storybook full of wonder, humour and heart.

It’s highly entertaining, but don’t be fooled – there is a very delicate and important message bubbling under the surface, a distant cry for change that only manifests itself through indications and brilliant comic timing. It’s bursting with detail, a performance you could study for days and still be amazed. It’s one of those shows that will make your heart leap and pull you into the magic world of perfect theatre. 1927 is a company to keep an eye on, a creative powerhouse that is not to be missed.

The Animals and Children Took to the Streets played at the National Theatre.