Room on the Broom LIVE, Review: Music and Magic From Tall Stories
(The following review relates to a performance at MAST Mayflower Studios, Southampton).
Room on the Broom Live, which is brought to the stage by Tall Stories, is a musical rendition of Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler’s charming children’s book. For those who don’t know, the story involves the adventures of a witch and her cat on their broomstick, and the various passengers they pick up along the way – a dog, a bird and a cat – as the witch lands to pick up items she’s dropped while zooming across the sky. Eventually they are chased by a hungry dragon.
The theatre company Tall Stories have fleshed the tale out a little and given each of the characters their own back story in the form of songs. These musical numbers have amusing lyrics and catchy tunes that will have little kids happily dancing, and their parent tapping their feet. The central character of the witch has also been subtly changed in a way that enriches the show. Now she is not an entirely competent witch, which makes sense of her tendency to drop things, and leads to some fun moments of audience participation.
The puppets that are used to bring all but one of the animal characters to life are fun and friendly looking, and the actors imbue them with a great deal of personality. Particular credit must go to Peter Steele who voices and controls the dog and the frog, giving the former an excitable charm, while the latter delivers his lines with a guttural southern drawl. There are only four performers in the cast and they cleverly pass the puppets between themselves, so that these loveable characters stay alive and active on stage no matter the action taking place.
As for actors who appear principally without puppets, Jessica Manu does a creditable job as the witch, and Hannah Miller plays the witch’s cat with great enthusiasm and charm. Top marks, however, must go to Jake Waring who plays the hungry dragon at the climax of the show (as well as voicing and controlling the bird puppet). He appears dressed in an adorable red padded costume, and runs out into the audience, interacting wonderfully with the children, sizing them up for his next meal in an hilarious, totally non-threatening way. He is the high-point of the show. Happily, the dragon set his sights upon this writer’s five-year-old daughter, who squealed and laughed with delight. Excellent fun for the kiddies.
Room on the Broom LIVE is currently on tour and you can book your tickets here.
