Reviews

Room on the Broom

Editorial Staff
London's West End

This production follows on from the success of The Gruffalo and Julia Donaldson’s story of a scatty witch with a penchant for hitch-hikers is equally well received by adults and children alike.

The four person cast take on the storytelling with great gusto, bringing life to Donaldson’s words and Axel Scheffler’s much loved illustrations through physical theatre, music and puppetry.

As much as it is possible to gauge, the audience of toddlers remain absorbed in the onstage action, and accompanying adults are moved to laughter by the Bird’s lyrics and the Dragon’s ‘witch and chips’ song. Although there is a real sense of energy and fun in the theatre, the overall sense of this production is that it is playing safe. That is not to say the adaption of the story isn’t convincing, it would just be nice to see such a popular show taking more risks.

Safe to say, if you have a group of toddlers that need entertaining for an hour you won’t find a better option than Room on the Broom.

-by Charlotte Pegram