Posts with the label childrens theatre
Showing posts with label childrens theatre. Show all posts
Showing posts with label childrens theatre. Show all posts
Thursday, 5 December 2019
Billionaire Boy (UK Tour), New Theatre Oxford | Review
Billionaire Boy (UK Tour)
New Theatre Oxford
Reviewed on Wednesday 4th December 2019 by Emma Gradwell
★★★★
David Walliams' children’s books translate perfectly from page to stage, with Billionaire Boy being the Birmingham Stage Company’s third adaptation. The stories are naughty, gross and capture British school life to a tee.
Billionaire Boy tells us the tale of Joe Spud. The heir to the Bum Fresh fortune. He has crocodiles, a racing car and a two million pound cheque, but what he doesn’t have is something that money cannot buy.
Matthew Gordon as Joe, confidently leads a fantastic cast through this pleasing story that packs a kind message. The actors move seamlessly between characters who are all fully realised and charming. Highlights of the evening were Aosaf Afzal as the fabulous Raj, a recurring character in Walliams' books. He is the shop keeper that we all knew growing up, with hilarious sayings and antics. Also, Emma Matthews as Ms. Trafe gives a wonderful comedic performance, from her deep fried blue tac to her hip replacement that looks suspiciously like a boob job.
Jaqueline Taylor’s clever set design is made almost entirely out of toilet rolls. The different pieces open and move to reveal all sorts of scenes hidden away. Watch out for the helicopter reveal - it is impressive and an audience favourite!
Music by Jack Poore is simple and catchy. We were singing the Bum Fresh song all the way home on the train!
The Birmingham Theatre Company have taken a children’s story and made it into a sophisticated production. The audience reaction is testament to a good job done.
photo credit: Mark Douet
Thursday, 31 October 2019
Billionaire Boy (UK Tour), Richmond Theatre | Review
Billionaire Boy (UK Tour)
Richmond Theatre
Reviewed on Wednesday 30th October 2019 by Olivia Mitchell
★★★★
David Walliams' quirky children's shows (adapted from his best selling books) are quickly becoming regular features in the UK theatre scene and Billionaire Boy certainly shows why. His excellently gleeful stories, filled with important messages are brought to life wonderfully on stage and provide a laugh-out-loud night for adults and kids a like.
Billionaire Boy is about the life of Joe Spud and his dad Len- a man who's made unfathomable amounts of money from inventing a special kind of double sided loo-roll: Bumfresh! Joe transfers to his local comp school and learns about the importance of friendship, money and loyalty.
The cast, made up of many recent graduates, are fantastic at bringing a variety of characters to life with spades of energy and childish delight. Matthew Gordon as Joe is thrilling to watch as he highlights Joe's moral struggles and gives a lovely performance throughout. As his best friend Bob, Davy Bell is earnest and instantly likeable. The pair have a wonderful on stage chemistry and really bounce off one another to create realistic school-time dramas that we can all relate to.... (well other than the part where one of them's a billionaire!)
Amongst the rest of the cast, Jason Furnival brings a realism to the story, especially towards the end; Emma Matthews gives it everything as Mrs Trafe and is certainly a highlight and Aosaf Afzal garners some of the biggest laughs of the night with his witty one liners and great comedic timing. The show is dotted with some very catchy songs by Jak Poore which keep the whole thing buoyant and are extremely well performed. Mared Lewis and Rosie Coles give vocal performances which really shine and Coles brings Sapphire to life excellently... I think we have a future Mrs Wormwood in our midst!
Jacqueline Trousdale's set is extremely well put together, with simple pieces weaving together to create something eye catching throughout. Bumfresh Towers is created by huge piles of loo roll which are twisted and changed to create the school, Raj's shop and other locations. There's also the helicopter scene which had children ahhing and ohhing- a real wow moment. Despite being a production aimed at children, nothing feels cheap or amateurish and Billionaire Boy really seems as if it'll stand the test of time and continue to entertain.
There are a few jokes which run dry a little fast, and it would be nice to see the bad guys get their just desserts but this is a wonderful production which is sure to bring joy to young audiences.
Billionaire Boy runs at Richmond Theatre until November 2nd before continuing its tour
photo credit: Mark Douet
Saturday, 4 August 2018
Horrible Histories: Barmy Britain Part Four, Apollo Theatre | Review
Horrible Histories: Barmy Britain Part Four
Apollo Theatre
Reviewed on Friday 3rd August 2018 by Olivia Mitchell
★★★★★
As we exited the the Apollo theatre after spending 70 minutes with historical figures from Britain's history, a young boy exclaimed "That was soooooo exciting!", and he was correct! As with the hit television show and series of exceptionally successful books, Horrible Histories manages to turn historical lessons into hilarious, memorable events which have you howling and learning in equal measure.
Written and directed by Neal Foster, Horrible Histories: Barmy Britain Part Four takes us through some of the most well-known and random events in British history with the typical Horrible Histories style of slapstick comedy, humourous songs and a little dose of audience participation.
A man of many talents, Neal is also the manager of the Birmingham Stage Company and one half of the duo who bring this show to life. Joined by Anthony Spargo (Roger) the two bring spades of energy and enough facial expressions to last a lifetime. Bouncing off of each other and looking as though they're genuinely having a great time on stage, the pair are perfect at entertaining without being ridiculous.
Barmy Britain is what you expect it to be... but better! There's really nothing you can complain about. It provides everything you could wish for, brings a genuine smile to your face and is children's theatre of the highest degree. It's also wonderful how affordable the show is for families, with tickets from £13 and merchandise ranging between £1-£6 it's a perfect summer treat.
Whilst my mum and I are definitely not the target audience for this show, we certainly enjoyed it the same amount as the children who filled the theatre. Not only does the humour of the show have you invested but the gasps and laughter from enthralled children can't help but bring a smile to your face. Barmy Britain is definitely fun for all ages and is the ideal way to spend a summer afternoon- plus you'll learn some facts about our country which you may never have heard before!
Horrible Histories: Barmy Britain Part Four runs at the Apollo Theatre until September 1st.
photo credit: Mark Douet
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