Room on the Broom

Iggety ziggety zaggety zoom! Will there ever be room on the broom for everyone?! That is the question as the young audience (and their grown-up people!) are invited along to share in this jaunty little adventure.

Based on the best-selling book by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler and directed by Olivia Jacobs, Tall Stories have created this Olivier Award nominated, fun-filled adaptation of Room on the Broom. Tall Stories say that they want to ‘ignite imaginations with our blend of storytelling theatre, catchy songs and lots of laughs’ and are well known for their adaptations of several of the much-loved stories by Donaldson and Scheffler. Previously pieces included ‘The Gruffalo’, ‘The Smee and the Smoos’ and ‘The Snail and the Whale’ - amongst many other great stories, all of which have one thing in common – they all include a hefty dose of family friendly fun as standard, allowing families to enjoy the magic of theatre together. 

This production, originally created back in 2008, tells the story of the kindly witch (Amy Harris – Four Seasons, The Parcel, Moby Dick) and her cat (Nadia Shash – A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Aladdin, Pockets of Power), travelling happily on their broomstick to track down the mean Dragon. But Witch is quite clumsy and keeps dropping things and each time they stop to find her items, they meet new characters who become hitchhikers along the way – an energetic,  friendly dog who wants to visit the moon, a beautiful green bird left behind by the flock and a frantic frog doing a runner from an overzealous princess after a kiss (easily my favourite character in this production!). Cat is quite frustrated with Witch for generously offering each of these strangers a ride on the broom, until Witch reminds Cat that she was also such a stranger until Witch came along! Unfortunately, the witches kindness in not leaving any of these behind, and instead offering them all a ride on a broomstick which is simply not meant for five, leads to an inevitable outcome - the broom snaps in half – with Cat, Dog, Bird and Frog plummeting to the bogs below and Witch being alone, and at the worst possible moment too - just as the very hungry dragon (who quite fancies a bit of Witch and Chips for dinner!) appears! 

The delightful puppetry, designed by Yvonne Stone, really brings the hitch-hiking animals to life in a way which is charming and well received by the children. Dog and Frog are brought to life by Dan Armstrong (Dragons and Mythical Beasts, The Snowmouse, Peter Pan) and are instantly huge hits with the audience. Dog is over excited, super fun and enthusiastic, while Frog is a Southern American with bunches of flamboyant charm and wit. The two characterisations could not be more different but Dan switches effortlessly between them and makes then each their very own with skills and real energy. Bird and Dragon are characterised by Joe Lindley (Frozen, The Wave, Greenwood Dreams) and again, are very different personalities played with excellent and energy. With the book being short, the adaptation has expanded the story with background and character histories, as well as songs and music to achieve a 55-minute production time. The four actors make up the small cast, playing several roles and swapping and changing costumes throughout, but the changes and introduction and interactions of puppets is so smoothly done that it never breaks the story or distracts the audience’s attention. The fun and catchy songs, extended dialogue and hilarious moments fit for the adults as well as the kids really do add to the well-known and much-loved story rather than taking away from the original, and it's clear from the audience response that this is a story the children know well and a production they have thoroughly enjoyed!

This 55-minute performance, without an interval is about the right length for the intended audience and most of them were quite happy to sit for the duration, in large part because it feels like the writing and acting has been created with exactly them (and their limited attention span!) in mind. Anytime there seemed a sense of an imminent shuffling and jiggling of small bums in seats, something happened to bring them back to attention and engage their focus - cleverly done. Helped along in its quest to entertain is the well-imagined collaboration of narrative, catchy songs (by Jon Fiber and Andy Shaw) and just the right amount of witty, clever dialogue. 

Morgan Large's set design is visually very appealing and even though most of the action takes place mid-stage and focuses on the broom itself, it still manages to play a great supporting role and you just know that without it, the performance would feel like something important was missing. Additionally, the props and costumes have been well incorporated and are a key companion to the storytelling. James Whiteside's lighting design takes us clearly and cleverly from ground to sky and back again. The story tells us when the characters are flying, and the lighting shift is there to help us believe them – simple as that. Morag Cross's choreography adds fun to proceedings, creating a fluid and enjoyable sequence to events which is just enough to hold little people’s attention, but not too fussy that they get lost along the way.

All in all, this delightful production will be a hit for any Donaldson and Scheffler fans. They will be entertained, enthralled and excited throughout and will leave the theatre with smiles and joy – what more can you ask ?!