Hop & Honk By I Theatre

An ugly duckling who does not fit in due to her looks.

A frog prince that lost his memory, due to his awful behaviour.

Both want to be accepted for who they are.

Both need a family, a best friend; and both seek true love.

They stumble into each other on their journey to find their ‘true self’.

And off they go! To find the Land of No Difference – where everyone is accepted for who they are – not judged on their appearances.

A unique twist to the two tales, The Ugly Duckling and The Frog Prince; I Theatre injects humour, friendship and a tinge of local “kiasu-ness” into their show Hop and Honk, unleashing a production that is jovial and relatable! Follow the adventures and misadventures of these two cute yet confused creatures in their quest for acceptance and security.

The play explores themes of friendship, transformation and looking beyond the surface. Do you really want to follow your destiny or do you want to follow what your heart wants? It’s about making choices, there’s no right or wrong – it all lies in your hands.

Hop and Honk - Meet the frogs

Director Brian Seward did a superb job in embedding positive social and moral behaviours into the play. Some of the key messages weaved into the play are: embracing the individuality of each child, how being different from others is okay, and it’s the heart that matters; not the looks. It also touched on school issues such as bullying.

In today’s society, these are relevant concerns that parents might have at hand and are unsure on how to broach the topic with their children. It’s very thoughtful to have underlying learning outcomes in a theatre production.

There was even a mini English lesson where children learnt terms such as “quack”, “waddle”. I enjoyed the finale because there was an unexpected twist to the story! Of course, you will have to watch it to find out.