Review: The Witches

Brimming with energy and Roald Dahl's child-friendly humour, the National Theatre's adaptation of The Witches puts Robert Zemeckis' recent film version to shame. Following the story of young Luke (played by bright-eyed Bertie Caplan) who ends up in the care of his brash Swedish Grandma (Sally Ann Triplett), the production brings the Grand High Witch from Dahl's classic tale to life.

The script is crammed with comedic quips, modernising the (at times dated) story without making it feel forced or cringe-worthy. Children pop out of cardboard boxes and transform into inanimate objects in an endearing fashion. A number of problematic elements of the original story, such as the witches being bald and having only a couple of fingers, were handled with care in this adaptation. They instead have purple fingers and purple spikey heads under their wigs, with the Grandma proudly showing she is bald early on in the production.