By Lucas Heap
The theatre adaptation of the 1971 Disney film of the same name is a delightful experience that’s guaranteed to captivate the whole audience, adults and children alike.
Set in wartime 1940, the musical starts by showing us the idyllic home life of three children, Charlie, Carrie and Paul. However, the warm lighting and the sound of play-fighting is quickly juxtaposed by white strobe effect searchlights and the intense echo of bombs as their house is destroyed, leaving the 3 children as orphans.
As they await the arrival of their new carer- Miss Eglantine Price – the magic begins.
Instantly, Conor O’Hara shines as 13 year old Charlie as he is forced to look after his younger siblings even though the pain of losing his parents is clearly affecting him just as much as his brother and sister. Nonetheless, he attempts to cheer them up by suggesting that Miss Price could be a witch, leading to the fantastic line- “Blimey, she IS actually a witch!” as they see her flying (and then falling) on her broomstick during the next scene.
Speaking of Miss Price, as soon as she makes her entrance, she is bewitching (quite literally), and Dianne Pilkington really steals the show, giving a performance worthy of the West End or Broadway. One of the most memorable scenes occurs when she attempts to use her broomstick for the first time and quickly loses control. The broomstick can be seen flying around the stage and seemingly no-one in the audience was able to figure out how it was done. Eventually she gains more control and is lifted by the broomstick, much to the amazement of children in the audience as they gasped excitedly in unison.
Soon after, Miss Price and the children decide to search for Emelius Brown, creator of the school of witchcraft , as they believe that, with his help, she can create a spell to help win the war and defeat Nazi soldiers. So with 3 taps on the magical bedknob, they are launched into the air, and thanks to the fantastic moving set, as the bed mystically and magically rises into the air, it truly gives off the extraordinary Disney vibe that makes this show perfect for all ages. (Again, none of us could work out just how the bed took off and floated around the stage – but of course that just adds to the marvel and magicality!)
After Emelius, played masterfully by Charles Brunton, is introduced, we are treated to one of the best musical numbers of the show – Portobello Road. Thanks to the outstanding ensemble, the song manages to match the original charm of the film version, and is developed even further with creative choreography so that, no matter where you look on stage, you’ll see characters reacting with one another and merging their movements together so perfectly, it’s a real seamless delight to watch.
The use of puppetry throughout the musical is also marvellous giving us some humorous moments like when Charlie and Emelius are turned into rabbits with a puff of smoke, the colourful underwater scenes featuring an extremely mouthy fish, and the terrifying King Leonidas, a ferocious lion.
The show ends on a heartwarming note as the children, Miss Price and Emelius drive off into the night together as a new family. The symbolism of the broken, blown up and torn apart house coming together, rebuilt, reveals the outline of Miss Price and Emelius.
With a wonderful ensemble, brilliant musical numbers and a terrific main cast, Bedknobs and Broomsticks is a real must see for any families, Disney or musical lovers.
It’s on at Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff, until 5 Feb
For more information about the show, visit: bedknobsonstage.com
Pics by Johan Persson