Owl At Home: perfect introduction to theatre

REVIEW: ‘Owl At Home’ at Sherman Theatre, Cardiff

This weekend, Sherman Theatre has hosted Theatr Iolo, welcoming back the smash hit children’s show, Owl At Home.

It was in Cardiff on Saturday (1 August) before it heads to Edinburgh Fringe Festival (15-30 August), and we were grateful to be invited.

Owl At Home is based on a 1975 children’s book of the same name by Arnold Lobel. It follows the tale of Owl, who lives by himself in his cosy home that he loves. We follow his day-to-day life; seeing his routine hearing some of his songs.

However, it occurs to Owl that he is alone in his house by himself. Owl does not feel lonely, as his imagination  provides him with entertainment, making ordinary objects take on a life of their own! Among this though, Owl gains an unexpected friend, who proves to be inescapable for an owl.

The set for this production is simple, as it should be for a one man show. It shows the simple life of Owl, and the home of every item in his house. Although the set design is small, the theatre had extra room for Owl to venture out closer to the crowd in the chaos.

Owl At Home is aimed at children aged 5+ and has a runtime of about 45 minutes. It was written for stage by Rina Vergano, directed by Theatre Iolo’s Lee Lyford, and performed by George Williams.

George Williams did a brilliant job playing Owl. I think performing solo in theatre is extremely impressive. George had not just the children captivated and laughing, but the adults too. He performed the role brilliantly, and performed several songs throughout the show.

This production has travelled the world, playing at first in Wales and England in 2022 and 2023, before heading to China in 2024, and then Poland in 2025. It is one of four productions selected for Cymru Wales in Edinburgh. I think it’s a brilliant show to introduce children to the theatre.

I took my young nephew to see this. On leaving I asked if he enjoyed, to which he responded “it was sooo funny”, and I think that’s quite a perfect summary.

Review by Sophie Platt

Photos by Kirsten McTernan

We received free tickets for this performance in exchange for an honest review