Review: THE WITCHES, National Theatre
Photo credit: Marc Brenner
Roald Dahl’s classic tale The Witches is receiving its musical premiere at the National Theatre in London this Christmas season. Originally published as a novel in 1983 and later made into films in 1990 and 2020, this childhood staple story has stood the test of time but how will it fair in its latest incarnation?
The Witches tells the tale of a 10 year old boy named Luke who loses his parents in a car accident. His Norwegian Gran then reluctantly takes custody of him and relays anecdotes of how witches live amongst us all. Whilst holidaying in the seaside town of Bournemouth, they stumble across a group of witches disguised as The Society Of Prevention Of Cruelty To Children. The Witches’ plan on eradicating all children in England turning them into mice and it’s down to Luke to hinder their plans.
Lucy Kirkwood’s book keeps the original text we all know and love whilst modernising the story with references for today’s youth to relate to such as TikTok and selfies which surprisingly don’t feel out of place in the 40 year old story. Kirkwood has mastered the art of appealing to a younger audience whilst also ensuring that the adults have a great time with clever and amusing one liners that would go above many children’s heads. It’s hard to strike the right balance between children’s show or established musical, however the show will attract all ages and a diverse audience night after night.
The extensive creative team have truly done a wonderful job on this new piece of theatre. Dave Malloy’s music suits the story perfectly and elevates the piece naturally. Kirkwood and Malloy’s lyrics will interest a vast spectrum of theatregoers. With contrasting styles of numbers from the playful ‘Soup Time’ to the emotional ‘When I Was Young’ ensures the piece appeals to all audience members.
Set and costume designer Lizzie Clachan has excelled at bringing Dahl’s world to the stage. Each witch is coherent with one another whilst also having a distinct and fully realised identity individually. The pastel palette set design is a visual feast, substantial in size and in quality with the use of a complex revolve. This takes us into The Hotel Magnificent and the many different settings in which the tale unfolds. Lighting designer Bruno Poet evokes the darkness The Witches’ embody sublimely. From lightning ricocheting throughout the auditorium to plunging us into darkness, it certainly provides the wickedness reminiscent of the original dark story. It would be hard to find a more realistic and compelling all round visual package.
Whilst the production is impressive, it currently lacks a rousing Act One number that would propel the musical to near perfection, leaving the audience with an easily recognisable melody or catchy anthem as they head into the interval. Equally, the opening number of Act Two is a little lacklustre and as visually appealing as the show is, at a run time of just under three hours, this seems excessive for a story predominantly aimed at engaging a younger audience. The Witches does however deserve further life and has the potential to become a West End cult classic musical.
A successful show is nothing without a multi talented cast to portray the story and The Witches sizeable ensemble bring their experience to the Olivier stage. West End icon Sally Ann Triplett provides magnificent comedy throughout with her over the top presentation of Gran and Daniel Rigby’s Mr Stringer is a side-splitting sitcom in his own right, not too dissimilar of Basil Fawlty’s hotel mishaps.
Katherine Kingsley embodies The Grand High Witch perfectly, playing the role with the necessary levels of evil and eccentricity, and delivering genuine scary moments throughout. Her show stopping number ‘Wouldn’t It Be Nice’ is certainly for the grown up members of the audience who seemed to appreciate pondering a world without children drawing many laughs.
In a musical about irradiating children, it is ironic that our two leads truly are the stand out members of the company. For this performance, Bertie Caplan played the role of Luke and Cian Eagle-Service portrayed Bruno respectively. Both have huge careers ahead of them as their vocals and acting talent are well beyond their years. ‘Bruno Sweet Bruno’ is a particular highlight whereby Eagle-Service is given a high energy cabaret tap number that wouldn’t be out of place in Crazy For You. Young performer Rudy Gibson also deserves his plaudits as his limited time on stage has the audience in hysterics with his cockney charm and impeccable delivery.
Adapting well known stories by Roald Dahl for the stage has been a massive success thus far with Charlie And The Chocolate Factory and Matilda both having successful runs in London’s West End. With a few minor tweaks, The Witches could become yet another Dahl West End success story delivering magic for years to come.
**** Four stars
Reviewed by: Jordan Potts
The Witches plays at the National Theatre until 27 January 2024, with further information here.