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.

Hotel manager Mr Stringer, played by the brilliant Daniel Rigby, pulled together the chaotic hotel scenes with a pitch-perfect precision. His frustration with the hotel's recent rat infestation is palpable, using his comedic timing to deliver some amazing slapstick moments with Lucy Kirkwood's one-liners.

Many an earworm is spread throughout the show thanks to Dave Malloy's songs (with lyrics by Mallow and Kirkwood); I can imagine some students in the audience chanting these in the playground the following week.

The show isn't just for children, it seems; one number from the Grand High Witch (Katherine Kingsley) called ‘Wouldn't It Be Nice’ emphasises this. Sung in a silky dressing gown, the track depicts a world where parents wouldn't have to cope with the inconvenience of children.

At times some of the humorous lines were lost due to the momentum of the songs and the volume of the orchestra, but every joke that could be heard landed with the audience well. Pacing was another issue – the lull before the interval caused a visible Mexican wave of yawns, but this quickly subsided.

Notably, the witches themselves do not fright or scare as they do in the original book or film. The most terrifying moment comes from a phone ringing in the auditorium and the Grand High Witch responding with rage. With stunning costumes and set from Lizzie Clachan, this would be a brilliant case study for students.

nationaltheatre.org.uk/productions/the-witches