Taking signature characters from a successful film franchise and reimagining them on stage is a brave move for any production company. It worked for Shrek, The Lion King is going from strength to strength - and now it's the turn of the crew from Madagascar to be brought to life in a brand new UK tour.

The story is simple. Marty the Zebra (Antoine Murray-Straughan, Cats) decides a life cooped up in Central Park Zoo isn't for him and breaks free, determined to get to 'the wild', against advice from his friend Alex the Lion (Matt Terry, X Factor). He ends up steering the gang to Madagascar where trouble ensues and they need to save the day so they can head back home. 

Taking my seat this evening, the age range in the stalls was huge. From grandparents to parents, right down to 6 and 7-year-olds, Madagascar The Musical is the epitome of 'family' theatre. This is good, clean, wholesome fun and has elements to appeal to all of those in attendance. The costumes are stunning, the staging - albeit quite basic - complements the show perfectly and the choreography is first class.

So often, shows like this can use their 'celebrity' and flaunt their well known characters in order to make savings elsewhere. However this production doesn't fall into that trap and the audience's appreciation of that is evident. 

However the stand out feature of the show is without doubt the cast. It's almost like the production team were handed a book called 'people suitable to replicate characters' and this company were listed under 'M'. Every member of this team deserves their own standing ovation for a job amazingly well done.

In a similar vain to The Lion King, there's a small number of puppet characters who match the original animation and are instantly recognisable to people, whether they've seen the film or not. However the four leads; Marty, Alex, Melman and Gloria, are portrayed by actors who wear similar (but not identical) costumes.

In some respects, you wish this was like a trip to Disney World and every actor came out in full costume. But, after the first few minutes, you begin to appreciate the show for what it is and by the end I was grateful this wasn't an attempt to mimic the original. Doing so would detract from the story and make this a novelty kids day out, when Madagascar The Musical holds its own in a see of its peers. 

Murray-Straughan excels as Marty, bringing a similar level of dance and laughs as the character of Donkey in Shrek. His timing is perfect, his characterisation sublime and he's a joy to watch. Joe Parsons plays a brilliantly funny King Julien, taking the part Sacha Baron Cohen played in the big screen original. Credit should also go to every puppeteer on stage this evening who had a cartoon animal attached to their bodies in various different ways. Tasked with bringing them to life in a credible and believable manor, the fact the audience stopped looking at the person and started applauding the animal says all that needs to be said.

However, stand out performance for me was Matt Terry who was a surprise hit as Alex. I say surprise, not in a derogatory way but Matt's career since winning X Factor two years ago, has been as a pop star. A number of his contemporaries have crossed into musical theatre but in each instance - from Alexandra Burke to Lucie Jones - the audience always seem to demand more to justify acceptance into the 'theatre world'. 

Matt can easily add himself to that list after a brilliant performance this evening, which was slick and well rehearsed. I can't help but think this is a career change that could bring about a whole new side to him and I look forward to seeing him back, treading the boards very soon!

All in all, a fantastic show which crosses age boundaries and has that feel-good factor that means you can't help but smile! Oh, and I want Mort to come and be my friend forever. No discussion required!

Madagascar The Musical runs at the New Alexandra Theatre until 4th August. Tickets and more information can be found online at atgtickets.com/birmingham.