Book and Lyrics by Lucy Kirkwood
Music and Lyrics by Dave Malloy
History
‘Roald Dahl's The Witches’ is a stage musical with book and lyrics by playwright and screenwriter Lucy Kirkwood, and music and lyrics by composer Dave Malloy (whose previous musicals include a four part musical of ‘Moby Dick’ and an electropop opera based on part of ‘War and Peace), based on Roald Dahl's 1983 children's novel of the same name. It was devised after many years of workshops and had its world premiere in the Olivier Theatre at the National Theatre, London as a co-production with the Roald Dahl Story Company on 21st November 2023 (following previews from 7th November). It was directed by Lyndsey Turner and choreographed by Stephen Mear. Full casting was announced on 4th September 2023 including Katherine Kingsley as the Grand High Witch, Sally Ann Triplett as Gran, Daniel Rigby as Mr. Stringer, Tiffany Graves as Kathy, and Zoe Birkett as Pippa.
Story
A boy and his Norwegian grandmother live in a world run by witches. Taking a holiday in Bournemouth, they stumble on the annual gathering of all England’s witches, where the Grand High Witch is planning to turn the world's children into mice.
In A Nutshell
Can a ten year old orphan and his Gran with a heart condition save all of England’s children from witches hiding in plain sight?
Production
I saw the production mid-way through its run from an excellent seat in the Circle. It is described as a ‘rip-roaring family musical’, and this was certainly the case, with impressive ensemble numbers, amazing scenery and costumes, and everyone on stage seemingly having a very enjoyable time (something that was infectious and meant that the audience seemed to be having an equally fun time). The songs were passable, with a few stand-outs (see below), but the script (which included lots of very clever jokes for the adults) and the performances were what made the night. Everyone seemed to have realised that the characters could not be overplayed, and so leant into this, with Triplett’s cigar-smoking Gran, Kingsley’s Grand High Witch, and Rigby’s hotel manager, being the prime examples. However, for me (and seemingly for much of my row given the raucous applause for him in the bows), the star turn was from William Skinner, who was playing Bruno Jenkins, the spoilt child who is the first to be turned into a mouse. He not only had the best jokes, but he also delivered each of them with comic timing that far exceeded his youth (and he had the best song). I also want to praise the remote-controlled mice that navigated the stage perfectly, and the clever way that the mouse children appeared from different parts of the stage seemingly by magic. The production (billed as being for ‘brave 8 year olds and up’) also balanced the humour with the scares.
Very, very highly recommended.
Roald Dahl’s The Witches runs at the Olivier Theatre at London’s National Theatre until 27th January 2024.
Favourite Song
It has to be showstopper ‘Bruno Sweet Bruno’, closely followed by ‘Wouldn’t It Be Nice ?’, the Grand High Witch’s lament against children.
Did I Buy The Cast Recording ?
There wasn’t one available.
Links
Production Website: https://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/productions/the-witches/
Cast Interviews: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHk2H30dGPY
No comments:
Post a Comment