Later this week, as part of Nottingham Puppet Festival, an adaptation of Roald Dahl's The Enormous Crocodile comes to Theatre Royal. Lead actor Chelsea Da Silva tells us more...
Would you like to give a rundown of the story, in your own words…
The musical is based on Roald Dahl’s book, The Enormous Crocodile. It’s about a big, hungry, mean crocodile who has secret plans and clever tricks in attempt to eat children, but other animals in the jungle try to stop him.
Dahl is an author who has been in many of our childhoods. What is it about Roald Dahl’s stories and style do you think seems to resonate so much with children, and often adults too?
Definitely his ability to use descriptive language in such a vivid, imaginative way to paint the storyline, as well as the characters. For the adults, I genuinely believe it’s quite nostalgic and even has humour written for them.
Did you have a favourite Roald Dahl book, or film adaptation, as a child?
Yes! It has to be Fantastic Mr Fox!
And obviously in the original The Enormous Crocodile, the story included an even darker, more sinister undertone; how did you manage to balance this while trying not to scare any of the children too much?
Personally, I think understanding that there are different layers to the character that you are playing really helps. Whilst reading the script in the first few rehearsals, and getting to learn about croc, there were moments where I found that croc can be comedic and even relatable at times. With that in mind, I also had to take into consideration that the musical is for 3+ years so I have to be somewhat likeable. Naturally, kids do tend to like villains deep down anyways.
It’s your professional theatre debut for this musical; did that make it feel very different from productions you’ve been in before? And what about the rehearsals, especially working with puppets?
Yes, it has felt different because of so many elements like learning puppetry for the first time whilst singing, dancing and acting. As well as that, touring weekly is something I’m inexperienced in, but it’s helped me build up stamina and, also be able to adapt to new environments which is something that isn’t really spoken in depth about in drama schools.
Was the choreography tiring, or was it made easier by it being such a fun, light-hearted project?
Working with croc puppet has been such an educational experience. Every day, I find something new about the puppet. Luckily, the choreography feels really fun and jazzy, but obviously learning how to dance with a huge croc head needed to be practiced.
What was the process of turning the puppet into an extension of the character?
Croc is a primary movement puppet, therefore, there are bound to be limitations. I had to learn how to actually embody croc by asking myself how he would walk, how could I show different facial expressions in the puppet, and how would I prey on each animal in the jungle. Overall, the process has been very fun to play around with.
What was the audition process like?
My agent submitted me for the audition and I was lucky enough to hear back and send a self-tape. Shortly after, the company invited me for an in-person audition where we were first introduced to the puppets of the characters that we were auditioning for. A couple days later my agent told me the news.
The composer for the show, Ahmed Gallab, has talked about a ‘call-and-response’ approach to the music, where audiences are encouraged to respond back to the songs; has this had a big effect on how the audience engages throughout? And how did it feel seeing the children interact with the performance?
It has had a massive effect on how the audience engages throughout the show. As soon as we open that door to let them know that they are allowed to respond back, they show us that they are fully present and engaged in the story. Especially with children. There are multiple times where call and response are used in the show and its joyous feedback from our side.
You were in Chicago at the beginning of the year, I believe; did you notice a difference between UK and US audiences?
YES! That the US audiences are crazy athletic especially towards the end of the show when it’s time to defeat croc! On the other hand, the UK audiences are cheekier to break the rules. Both experiences have felt so heart warming because at the end of the day they are so invested in the story and leave the show braver and really happy to have watched it.
Did you manage to get out and see any of the Chicago puppet festival, or was it too busy with rehearsals?
The jet lag got to us ALL by the time we reached Chicago. So unfortunately, we weren’t able to watch any other puppetry shows. We did try towards the end but it was fully booked. On top of that we did have rehearsals and tech time but we are definitely looking forward to see some puppetry shows around Nottingham.
Tell us about your experience getting into theatre in Nottingham, and what your opinions are on the theatre opportunities for children in the city - especially because a lot of the audience may be full of younger people
who want to follow in your footsteps?
I’ve had quite an awkward experience with theatre as I started quite late and went to a theatre dance school called Tracy Quaife Theatre Dance School. In secondary school, I realised throughout school shows that not only did I like dancing but I also really loved singing and acting. Nottingham Girls’ Academy is a performing arts school and so I had two lovely teachers that helped guide me to audition for drama schools for uni. My opinion on theatre opportunities for children in Nottingham is obviously positive. I feel as if there are more opportunities than ever and it’s so accessible. As well as that, it doesn’t matter what age you start, just as long as you have love the craft because everyone’s journeys are different.
And since you are actually from Nottingham, does it feel more special performing here, will there be anyone you know in the audience to cheer you on etc?
Yes I am really excited to be performing in my home city! Mainly because I have a lot of family members, friends and my friend’s kids that will be coming to cheer me on or (because I am technically the villain) boo me. They are the people who also made me who I am today so I’m really excited for them to come and see it.
Final question: what do you think the moral of the story is in the end?
Everyone will take something different from the show, but for me, it’s pivotal moral of the story is bravery and standing up for what you think is right, no matter what is in the way.
Catch Chelsea Da Silva in The Enormous Crocodile at Thursday 2 - Sunday 5 July 2026.
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