Review: GANGSTA GRANNY, Lyceum, Sheffield, Mar 9 2016

One of the biggest success stories in children's fiction over the last few years has been David Walliams' series of children's novels. Several of these have now been adapted into TV films and so they're an obvious choice for a crowdpleasing family theatre experience.

The Birmingham Stage Company's touring adaptation of Gangsta Granny demonstrates why Walliams' books have become so successful. It's essentially the story of an ordinary boy, Ben (Ashley Cousins), whose seemingly boring Granny (Gilly Tompkins) has an amazing secret. It combines familiar day-to-day situations with a sense of the surreal, a strong moral message (about not neglecting or dismissing the elderly) and a few fart jokes to keep kids amused. Rest assured, there are also a number of other jokes funnier than the overreliance on jokes about farting and Granny cooking everything from cabbages, which get somewhat tiresome fairly early on. The story is fairly straightforward, but it's entertaining enough and the characters very relatable for the young audience. All the kids I saw in the theatre really enjoyed the experience and those that had read the books could be heard quoting lines at certain points.

The production itself is full of vigour and the cast are rarely offstage, doubling as dancing set-changers even when they are not in a scene. All of them display great energy, which never drops, although in a couple of places the performances were a bit too over the top, even for this larger-than-life set of characters. As Granny, Gilly Tompkins has a dream role and she relishes every moment-the fact that she has the best lines and the most exciting scenes further reinforces Walliams' message about the elderly not being boring - something reinforced in the programme with its dedication to director Neil Foster's late friend Rose, who died at the age of 104, a fact that my eight-year-old friend was very impressed by!

The cleverly realised staging, designed by Jacqueline Trousdale, take us through a variety of locations, from Granny's house, to the newsagents, to the Tower of London, as the TARDIS-like sets are rotated and cast members pull out cleverly disguised beds, windows and other panels that have been tucked away inside when they are needed. It's a very slick and impressive operation, and works well for a touring show.

This is a high-energy and exuberant show with a straightforward but entertaining story. Children aged 6-12 in particular will find much to enjoy in the show, but there's still plenty to keep the parents amused - even if no one is likely to be looking up the recipe for cabbage cheesecake after the show!

Gangsta Granny is at the Lyceum, Sheffield until March 12 and is on tour nationally throughout 2016. Visit http://birminghamstage.com/ for details.

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