Madagascar the Musical stars visit Marwell Zoo

The visit had Connor Keetley, who plays Skipper/Maurice, and James Hilton-Foster, part of the ensemble, stepping into the shoes of zookeepers for a day.

Their activities ranged from feeding giraffes and lemurs to introducing the show's puppet penguins to the zoo's resident penguins for a special photo opportunity.

The musical is set to start its week-long performance from August 21 to August 24. Both Keetley and Hilton-Foster have a close relationship with the Mayflower Theatre as part of its Engage programme alumni.

Back in 2019, Keetley was given the Montague Bursary. He has been part of three Mayflower Summer Youth Projects, including Guys and Dolls in 2017, Pirates of Penzance in 2016, and Five of the Best back in 2014.

In 2019, Keetley served as a Team Leader in the youth project for Peter Pan. Meanwhile, Hilton-Foster also made his mark on the stage, playing Mr Darling in Peter Pan. He also appeared in Les Misérables in 2018 and Guys and Dolls in 2017. He even returned in 2021 and 2022 as the Assistant Choreographer for The Lightning Thief – The Percy Jackson Musical and Summer Holiday.

The pair celebrated their ten-year involvement with the Mayflower Summer Youth Projects at SYP10 in 2023.

For those wishing to see the musical, tickets can be obtained from mayflower.org.uk or by dialling 02380 711811.

Tickets for Marwell Zoo are available at marwell.org.uk.

Laura Read, Marwell Wildlife chief executive, said: "We’re delighted our keepers were able to show Madagascar the Musical’s Central Park Zoo crew the ropes when they visited the park to help care for some of the animals at Marwell Zoo.

"We hope it gave them a taste of life at the zoo and helped them get in character ahead of what’s sure to be a great run of shows at Mayflower Theatre. If you love the show and want to visit the real animals afterwards, don’t forget Marwell is open throughout the year and has over 140 species to explore."