hree months into lockdown, the shows I miss most are children’s theatre productions. We’ve watched some fun archive streams from the companies Can’t Sit Still and M6, and loved the Little Angel’s I Want My Hat Back trilogy. But how do you capture the sense of occasion and that rowdy yet spellbound buzz that is particular to a young audience? Nottingham Playhouse’s virtual premiere of writer-director Jeff James’s Noah and the Peacock sets out a blueprint for making a live family show online in this period of limbo. It makes smart use of familiar technology, keeps the warmth and interaction essential to children’s theatre, and reframes a well-worn story with a message that will resonate with a young audience growing increasingly disorientated by school closures. The hour-long show takes place on Zoom – you book a ticket for a particular slot so it’s also been something to look forward to amid the monotony of lockdown life. While we’d probably be settling in front of the computer with a bag of crisps anyway, this time we’ve been instructed to do so – and to refrain from munching them. Other items we’ve been told to gather to create our own sound effects include a bottle of water, an electric toothbrush and a couple of cushions. Oh, and I’m wearing a cat mask, six-year-old Hilda is in her parrot cape and 10-year-old Aggie is dressed, only slightly reluctantly, as a rabbit. In the gallery view on Zoom we see a colourful assortment of bedrooms and living rooms, with audiences wearing animal onesies, face-paint and masks, which are downloadable from the theatre’s website (along with an activity pack). We are sorted into three different groups of animals – Aggie and I are “growlers”, Hilda is a “honker” – and it’s quickly apparent that making as much noise as possible is encouraged. Sporting an iridescent ruff, Kyle Soller is a riot as the pompous Peacock, getting giggles from both girls, though Aggie thinks his black-and-white jacket and pin-striped trousers are a bit Zebra-y. Peahen (Danusia Samal) is kind and curious but shy while Bradley Foster and Patricia Davenport play a supporting cast of creatures – and all four share the role of storyteller. Rosanna Vize’s design ensures continuity between the screens of the performers as each has a black-and-white backdrop showing a different view of the same landscape. The costumes are simple yet effective – shimmering earrings for Peahen, a paper beak for a stork – so they are fun for younger viewers but don’t seem babyish for older ones. (The show is designed for five-to-nine-year-olds.) As you may have guessed, a flood is coming and we all rattle our shakers and bottles on its arrival. Both Peahen and Peacock have lessons to learn before they can escape to safety with the help of three fastidious ducks. The story’s morals are delivered without heavy-handedness, as are the parallels between the cramped ark and our lockdown lives. Anyone who has had a meeting on Zoom will know how hard it is to get into the rhythm of a conversation – as spoofed in the three-way meeting in the BBC’s superb short dramas Staged. Even though Noah and the Peacock must have been a logistical headache for the cast and crew, there’s no sense of frantic paddling – you just enjoy the glide.