Mayflower Theatre Southampton – until 10th March 2019.
Reviewed by Leanne Caplis
4****
Emma Reeves has worked her magic on the adaption of Jill Murphy’s Worst Witch to take it on a tour of the UK. Starting at the Lyceum Theatre in Sheffield on the 29th January it will run all the way through to the 1st June where it will finish at the Playhouse in Liverpool.
Mildred Hubble (Danielle Bird) who is not from a witching family finds herself at Miss Cackle’s (Polly Lister) Academy for Witches. Will she ever be able to learn to make a laughter potion? Can she master the flying of a broomstick with her beloved cat Tabby? Will the snobby with Ethel Hallow (Rosie Abraham) ever accept Mildred as a real witch?
It was nice to see the cast interacting with the audience prior to the show starting. The children, some who had dressed as little Witch’s themselves, loved getting their selfies with the stars of the show. There was a real buzz in the air right from the start.
Both the music and the voices of the whole cast throughout the production were top class. Especially clever was how the band was made up with characters from the story; Miss Drill (Megan Leigh Mason), Miss Bat (Molly-Grace Cutler) and Fenella (Meg Forgan).
Lots of cackles from the audience, both big and small, throughout the show. For me the cats were hilarious as were some of the movements of Miss Cackle. One of my favourite parts of the show was Polly Lister playing both Miss Cackle and her wicked witch sister Agatha in unison. The way Polly seamlessly moved between the two characters during one of her songs had me in stitches and was great to watch.
I thought the magic in the second half of the show better than the first although I’m sure the young audience members enjoyed it all. I’m still left wondering how Agatha became Miss Cackle without me noticing…real Witch magic right in front of your eyes does happen!
Rosie Abraham who played Ethel Hallow was the stand out character for me. She played the snobby Witch, with excellent facial expressions and nose in the air attitude, extremely well. Mildred was great and, although an adult, she managed to pull off being a child without difficulty. I’d have liked to have seen more of Enid (Consuela Rolle) who has a great singing voice, a real stage presence but unfortunately not enough lines.
The audience participation in the second half had the younger audience bouncing in their seats with excitement. The excellence of this play could be observed as the children were able to sit for over two hours without getting restless.
The staging was good with some excellent props with the magic mirror leaving me believing magic really could be real! I did think it a shame to see members of the backstage crew occasionally and this could quite easily be rectified for future shows by having the cast move the props. I’m sure, however, that most did not even notice. Be aware there are occasional loud bangs and flashing lights.
This is a superb show and a worthy watch. It will have adults cackling in delight and children wanting to join Miss Cackle’s Academy for sure!