The book follows the experiences of a young boy and his grandmother who live in a world plagued by evil, child-hating witches.
And Triplett is convincing as idiosyncratic Gran, gruff but warm in equal measure. Meanwhile, Daniel Rigby is the frantic hotel manager who turns the Magnificent, in its riot of red and pink colouring, into a cross between Wes Anderson’s Grand Budapest Hotel and Fawlty Towers. There is a decent amount to work on here – but also much to admire.
If the script channels Dahl’s linguistic agility and imagination, it cleans up his darkness. The witches are more comical than abominable and there is a lo-fi cutesiness to the children’s transformations into inanimate objects (they pop sweetly out of boxes in cardboard costumes). The biggest fright comes when a phone rings in the auditorium and the High Witch loses it.
2023 | West End |
National Theatre Musical Premiere Production West End |
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