Hull New Theatre – until 16th February 2019
Reviewed by Catherine McWilliams
4****
I wasn’t sure what to expect when I went to the Hull New Theatre to see The Worst Witch, what I saw was a fabulous fun filled show suitable for everyone, it certainly brought out my inner child! I love any show that leaves me smiling and The Worst Witch left me with a huge grin on my face at the end of the evening.
Emma Reeves has skillfully adapted The Worst Witch books of Jill Murphy into a spellbinding theatre experience, a vibrant magical show. Jill Murphy’s books long being a favourite for children, the first book being published in 1974 (well predating another magical series!).
Miss Cackle’s Academy for Witches arrived at Hull New Theatre last night to perform their school production, written by one of their students Mildred Hubble (Dannielle Bird). The play within the play follows the unexpected arrival of Mildred at the Academy, she is not from a family of witches and finds it hard to fit in and she is also bullied by Ethel (Rosie Abraham). Of course there is a baddy in the mix in the form of Miss Cackle’s evil twin sister Agatha (Polly Lister), suffice to say good wins over with help from Mildred, but it would be a shame to spoil the surprises along the way by giving away any more of the story.
From the start this production provided fun and laughter, mixing in music and dancing and a good deal of mayhem, usually provided by our heroine Mildred. Oh and I must not forget to mention the very clever cat puppets belonging to the students. The set was simple but very effective and clever lighting helped provide some very spooky moments.
The cast are outstanding, this is a production for children but it is thoroughly professional and not dumbed down or childish. This is full of fun, the cast clearly enjoy the performance and the adults in the audience loved it as much as the youngsters.
Danielle Bird gave us a perfect gangly, accident prone Mildred, she was totally believable full of good humour and always seeing the good in everyone. Her off beat dancing and falls were superb and the broomstick display with her friend Maud (Rebecca Killick) was outstanding and had me gasping at times. I can’t have been the only one in the audience wanting her to be my friend! Oh, and she was just like I imagined her to be when I read the books.
Rebecca Killick (Maud) and Consuela Rolle (Enid) were the perfect foils as Mildred’s best friends, as Maud provided the steadiness and Enid the naughtiness.
Rosie Abraham was a superb Ethel and had us hating her very quickly as she sneered at Mildred and tried to get her sent home. Her delivery was excellent and the body language added beautifully to her nastiness.
Polly Lister played Miss Cackle and her evil twin Agatha, slipping between the two characters with ease, her double act a particular highlight of the show.
The music was very cleverly woven into the performance and the musicians Molly-Grace Cutler, Meg Forgan and Megan Leigh Mason were also part of the acting cast, which worked very effectively. It was good to see female musicians on stage too.
According to the school banner this is an academy that is rated fantastical by Ofmag, and fantastical is what we got last night. From the start we were all spellbound, drawn into the magic and mayhem, the adults as entranced as the children. This is a fabulous feel good production for all the family, so get your broomsticks out and fly to the theatre to catch it!