Roald Dahl's The Witches - NT Olivier

[vickyg]

Well. This was significantly better than when I last saw it only 8 days ago. This is how I would have expected to see a first preview: the odd issue but largely without incident. The tricks, however have not improved and in one case we still have a fully lit mouse-child getting into a cupboard to 'disappear' during the soup scene, wearing a very obvious climbing harness, and then being completely visible *in* said cupboard because the door has holes in it and ears are poking out above the roofless cupboard. My overriding feeling is that I love it, but it could have been so much more.

Because it ran so much more smoothly tonight I was more able to notice the largely tuneless songs. There are only three that I felt I would listen to on a cast recording: the first one about what witches look like and the two sung by the Grand High Witch. Which brings me to my enduring obsession with Katherine Kingsley. The accent is everything - who would have thought the word 'puzzle' could be so funny - I wish she had more material.

There were no more inappropriately tight pants on the chef which are now pink sparkly shorts and...

SPOILER: Click to show

{Spoiler - click to view}
they have re-written the audience plant section. The Grand High Witch no longer calls the child in the audience an asshole. She now says to the audience as a whole that *all* children are assholes. It's something like 'Children are such assholes. Mummies and Daddies, this one's for you'. It got a lot of laughs because let's face it, she has a point...

[141920grm]

Post hopefully up on Noticeboard soon- I’m letting go of 1 spare £20 stalls ticket for tonight’s 7pm show

[theoracle]

It was very enjoyable - performances were uniformly very good. Sally Ann Triplett is a true star and getting to see her grace the Olivier stage was delightful to see. Great to see Chrissie Bhima again too after missing her in SpongeBob but the highlight was definitely Bruno. That number was superb - coupled with the choreography it was definitely the standout moment.

That being said, this felt less impactful than Ghost Quartet or Preludes. Visually, the design I thought was also less wow than Hex, even though clearly this is a better show with more substance. It’s closer to a 4* for me but lean more towards 3 than to a 5. I wouldn’t rush to see it again but am glad they’ve found an audience and made the NT feel family friendly again

[Fleance]

Nov 24, 2023 14:07:34 GMT theoracle said:

It was very enjoyable - performances were uniformly very good. Sally Ann Triplett is a true star and getting to see her grace the Olivier stage was delightful to see. Great to see Chrissie Bhima again too after missing her in SpongeBob but the highlight was definitely Bruno. That number was superb - coupled with the choreography it was definitely the standout moment.

That being said, this felt less impactful than Ghost Quartet or Preludes. Visually, the design I thought was also less wow than Hex, even though clearly this is a better show with more substance. It’s closer to a 4* for me but lean more towards 3 than to a 5. I wouldn’t rush to see it again but am glad they’ve found an audience and made the NT feel family friendly again

Which Bruno did you see? He was definitely the star the evening I went as well. It was George Menezes Cutts that evening.

[coco]

I saw this tonight. Having read many comments about the score, I have lowered my expectations and enjoyed it while in the theatre, but all the joy vanished once I walked out of NT, so to me, it's a 3.5-4-star production.

The cast is fantastic, just as always. Daniel Rigby reminds me of his performance in the Accidental Death of an Anarchist, quite funny.

To me, part of the problem is the score.'Get Up' is no way near 'When I Grow Up' in terms of both lyrics and melody, so it only worked for me when I was in the theatre. Another problem is about the theatre effects. Having seen The Follies in the same Olivier Theatre, I felt that this new musical has not realized the stage's full potential(especially in Act I). And of course, the set and costumes are great, but it's the NT! If that's from a regional theatre, I will be amazed. But for NT, I wouldn't. Actually, when I was watching it, I couldn't help but think of the production of 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' I saw last year in Leeds Playhouse. To me, 'The Witches' felt a bit like an upgraded version of 'Charlie' with respect to money, and just in this. Didn't see many shining points on the creative side.

I have never read any of Roald Dahl's books, but I really liked the book of it. However, I'm curious about one plot, when Gran was expelled by the other hotel guests, it clearly refers to the witchhunt scene at the beginning of the musical. Is it in the original book? Or is it the creative team's adaptation?

[mkb]

How much this show has improved over previews, I don't know, but, on the evidence of last night's performance (using the Caplan / Eagle-Service team last seen at press night), I am somewhat dumbfounded by the critical comments on here.

I did wonder why I knew nothing of Dahl's "The Witches" but then learnt it was not written until 1983, so well after my childhood. I worried too whether this new musical version would appeal to adults. It turns out that much of the content is squarely aimed at the older crowd with several cultural references that will leave under-30s head scratching, and, as is so often the case when they sense adult content, kids will relish it all the more for that.

Around me last night, the well-behaved youngsters seemed enraptured (as was I) and not restless at all during the near three-hour running time (thankfully without any show-stops). From my third row vantage point, I thought the staging and production design just perfect. I loved everything about this show, the costumes, the wigs, the movement, the timing, the music, the lyrics, the lighting, the sound design, all simply showcasing family theatre at its finest.

And as for the performances, what can I say? Our Luke and Bruno were sensational, clearly stars of the future. Triplet, Kingsley and Rigby are at the top of their game for brilliant comic characterisations, and there was nothing I could fault in the huge ensemble.

Unexpectedly, I laughed a lot. I wasn't the slightest perturbed by any language, and thought it could have been stronger. (Kids love that sort of thing in any case. Who doesn't remember the frisson of excitement reading Kes in junior school and seeing the F-word legitimised in print for the first time? No, of course I'm not suggesting they go that far, but very mild profanity is hardly going to frighten the horses.)

More head-scratching, this time mine, as to how anyone could have been seriously wondering whether the incident in the audience was planned or not.

Overall, this is a joyously dark show that will appeal to anyone of any age with a sense of mischievous fun.

Five stars.

Act 1: 19:07-20:18
Act 2: 20:42-21:52

[dd]

Saw this as a preview last Wednesday. Thought it was good but some of the jokes fell flat. The boy playing Bruno was fantastic. The grand high witch had a couple of great songs too. How anyone could be confused to whether the interaction with the kid audience was planned or not is beyond me

[mrmushnik]

Too long.
No heart.
Everyone is shouting all the time. KK, DR and SAT sounded like they’re about to lose their voices.
Music completely unmemorable.
Choreography wasn’t linked to the narrative.
Set was impressive as was the boy who played the spoilt friend.

Can’t believe this has been in development for all these years.
Needed a really quirky creative team to pull this off.
As has been said, Matilda this ain’t and won’t be doing for the NT what Matilda has done for the RSC.
Such a shame as there are so many fabulous performers in the cast.

[colelarson]

Saw this yesterday afternoon there was a show stop due to a technical difficulty with the revolve in the soup scene so we stopped for a few minutes.

I agree the songs are not memorable but they are slotted in well and use dialogue from page to stage.

I did like the "Get Up" song and the Grand Witches song for the parents - don't think we needed the plant in the audience it didn't add anything.

It says it is for brave 8 years old and above and I think that would be right as there are some scenes younger theatre goers may find scary. A young child behind me left during the first number as he was scared and didn't return!

There is a lot of talent on stage and it is worth seeing for Bruno as he is a hoot, I had William Skinner and he is just how I imagined Bruno in the book!

Always great to see Sally Ann Triplett on stage and I think she is perfect as Gran, she has some funny lines. Katherine Kingsley as the Grand High Witch is like Greta Garbo and has stunning costumes.
Daniel Rigby is perfect as the hotel Manager and adds extra laughs.

Looks like a good sell out for Christmas and it is definitely more entertaining than Hex!

[mrnutz]

I thought this was excellent on Thursday night. Really enjoyed it. Our Bruno (William Skinner) was OUTSTANDING and the crowd lapped it up. Daniel Rigby's performance was also a standout.

Found it really funny and a few of the songs more memorable than earlier reports had indicated.

4/5

[ceebee]

Second time in tonight after first preview. Left at interval. Boring, soulless, though occasionally funny.

[drmaplewood]

I was there last night - no technical issues so there's that but agree the second half is a real slog and needs to be trimmed down. I am struggling to remember any of the songs today which isn't a great sign.

[mrbarnaby]

Nov 28, 2023 22:46:53 GMT ceebee said:

Second time in tonight after first preview. Left at interval. Boring, soulless, though occasionally funny.

Relieved to hear this- thought I was starting to go mad when people were giving this 4 star reviews.

Only saving graces are the kids, the set and Katherine Kingsley IMO. The rest is a scrappy mess.

[ceebee]

Nov 29, 2023 12:41:15 GMT mrbarnaby said:

Nov 28, 2023 22:46:53 GMT ceebee said:

Second time in tonight after first preview. Left at interval. Boring, soulless, though occasionally funny.

Relieved to hear this- thought I was starting to go mad when people were giving this 4 star reviews.

Only saving graces are the kids, the set and Katherine Kingsley IMO. The rest is a scrappy mess.

Originally I said it had the potential to be a 4 star show and blamed first preview gremlins, but I've just given it two stars and think it's a bore fest. Very unusual for me as I usually like to focus on the positives - for this show, the humour and child talent. The chorus sections are a cacophonous racket.

[ladidah]

It sounds like such a long show, surely it's quite a simple story at heart.

[vickyg]

Nov 28, 2023 22:46:53 GMT ceebee said:

Second time in tonight after first preview. Left at interval. Boring, soulless, though occasionally funny.

In contrast, the more I see this, the more I love it! It was a car crash in previews but imo there have been so many improvements. I saw different kids last night which made a huge difference and was front row which was great. KK's facial expressions of complete and utter delight at squiggling children are hilarious but I couldn't really see them from further back. I took a friend whose reaction I couldn't predict but she loved it and has asked to go again which never happens because she is a normal person who doesn't obsess about shows like I do...

[ceebee]

Nov 29, 2023 13:36:44 GMT ladidah said:

It sounds like such a long show, surely it's quite a simple story at heart.

It is. It's 2.5 hours too long.

[vabbian]

2 stars

Snooze fest for the most part, needs to be cut about 25%

Bruno was fab
The high witch solo was also fab

I think the high witch was doing a Swedish Trixie impression:

[mattnyc]

Oh, I wish there was an option to rate this 2 1/2 stars here. It's not awful but it's also not very good. At 2 hours 45 mins, this is entirely too long for what it is. It wasn't until about 45 mins into act one when the Witches actually all showed up that I thought "Ok, finally this is going somewhere". I guess there's gonna be some spoilers here -

I think the entire first 20 or so mins can and should be cut and condensed into a single song starting with Luke losing his parents and ending with him meeting his Gran and then the entire hospital scene needs to go and just have it be she's taking him on a holiday because she's recovering. We don't need anything besides them meeting, her teaching him about the Witches and her past and then boom, get on with the show. The second act fares better but I still found myself losing interest when the focus wasn't the Witches. I think the most disappointing part of the entire thing for me was the "Get Up" song. I really enjoyed what they released for that number and was looking forward to seeing how it was staged and it was BORING. A couple kids dressed in some fancier Halloween costumes standing side by side singing the song that should be a rousing anthem but instead was completely lethargic.

There's some decent stuff in there but it's all sandwiched between a lot of things that the show just doesn't need.

[Boob]

Don’t forget the choreography. When they sing “get up”, they stand up on their tiptoes.

[theimperialtailor]

Nov 29, 2023 22:46:12 GMT mattnyc said:

Oh, I wish there was an option to rate this 2 1/2 stars here. It's not awful but it's also not very good. At 2 hours 45 mins, this is entirely too long for what it is. It wasn't until about 45 mins into act one when the Witches actually all showed up that I thought "Ok, finally this is going somewhere". I guess there's gonna be some spoilers here -

I think the entire first 20 or so mins can and should be cut and condensed into a single song starting with Luke losing his parents and ending with him meeting his Gran and then the entire hospital scene needs to go and just have it be she's taking him on a holiday because she's recovering. We don't need anything besides them meeting, her teaching him about the Witches and her past and then boom, get on with the show. The second act fares better but I still found myself losing interest when the focus wasn't the Witches. I think the most disappointing part of the entire thing for me was the "Get Up" song. I really enjoyed what they released for that number and was looking forward to seeing how it was staged and it was BORING. A couple kids dressed in some fancier Halloween costumes standing side by side singing the song that should be a rousing anthem but instead was completely lethargic.

There's some decent stuff in there but it's all sandwiched between a lot of things that the show just doesn't need.

YES - very much this.

[theimperialtailor]

Nov 26, 2023 0:52:24 GMT mrmushnik said:

Too long.
No heart.
Everyone is shouting all the time. KK, DR and SAT sounded like they’re about to lose their voices.
Music completely unmemorable.
Choreography wasn’t linked to the narrative.
Set was impressive as was the boy who played the spoilt friend.

Can’t believe this has been in development for all these years.
Needed a really quirky creative team to pull this off.
As has been said, Matilda this ain’t and won’t be doing for the NT what Matilda has done for the RSC.
Such a shame as there are so many fabulous performers in the cast.

hahahah - yes indeed!

[theimperialtailor]

Nov 16, 2023 21:50:24 GMT @imperialtailor said:

So, lots to say about this show (and would love to say more after they've opened, only fair to give it a chance to bed-in a bit more).

As others have said, some lovely bits, and some great performances (Gran, oh yes. Stringer, yes please. Bruno, one to watch), but overall surprisingly underwhelming. Especially given how long it's been in the making (the un-special effects compared to say Cursed Child are just, well, where did the budget and ingenuity go?!).

And not just on the production side: some very, erm, questionable story/script/character choices that just seem tortuous (and painfully overly-directed).

But all that's for another time. And they are still in Previews after all, and have had to contend with show-stops and set malfunctions and three casts of kids, which must pose its rehearsal challenges.

So fair play and all that and wish them well and have already booked to see the show two more times at least.

But what I will say (and yes, having been an avid "guest" on this forum to soak up all the lovely wisdom and inisghts over the years, I have finally joined specifically to make this post, so forgive the alarming virgin outburst)... for the LOVE OF LARRY can someone reading this post from insde the production please just do this ONE THING?!

Lots to work on, but this ONE THING is just an absolute car-crash (and, spoiler alert, there's an actual one of those and it's done brilliantly) - CAPS LOCK TIME...

YOU CANNOT CANNOT CANNOT HAVE THE GRAND HIGH WITCH CALL A CHILD IN THE AUDIENCE (however obviiously a [spolier] plant) an "ASSHOLE" (and certainly shouldn't entertain the notion of the child misbehaving out of "boredom", a state many geniune audience members were edging towards as the show wended its way thorugh a quite heavy almost 3 hours, but that's another matter). And the whole mobile phone thing is done somewhat clinkily in any case, but again that's for another time.

Yes the show is 8+, but deploying actual swear-words was utterly inept and crass. And totally unnecessary. And I personally love swearing. It didnt make us detest the GHW, but rather made us cringe as if watching a stand-up lose the crowd. (And to have children repeat this aterwards ad nauseum on the way home is, well, not my point, just an added sh*te-cherry on top of the w*nk-cake). Plus it's an Americanism (there were a few of those peppered thoughout, quite jarring, but no doubt eyes on Broadway transfer one day). If you're gonna go there, in Blightly it's "Children are little Sh*ts sometimes".

But just NO. All that is just wrong. Take a leaf out of Miss Trunchbull's book and deploy "Maggots" or similar. There are so many Dahl-esque concoctions to use. "Squiggle-munchers" or "Piggle-pogglers" or similar. Or use the Norwegian for "A**hole". Or use an insult that kids would find funny: "Butt-Munch" "Bogey-Breath", whatever. Something, ANYTHING.

If anyone is out there who would kindly like to pass this onto the Creatives before it is needlessly folded into the Press Reviews next week then I shall die happy. Or at least shall not cringe-cruch into my seat when I next see the show as the dreaded moment approaches.

More to follow in the days to come. Thanks void for allowing me to scream into you. xxx

Hold my beer. Shall be joining you in the void shortly...

[romeo94]

Has anyone sat in Row AA? It notes that it's a bench. How comfortable are we talking?

[lookingatthestars]

Nov 30, 2023 20:35:13 GMT romeo94 said:

Has anyone sat in Row AA? It notes that it's a bench. How comfortable are we talking?

I sat there. I heard there were no arms, and for some I reason was expecting no back and the bench itseld to be hard and wooden, perhaps my Dickensian state of mind!. So it was a nice surprise when I found them to be cushioned, both the seat and the back. I found the seat to be comfy enough. It's one long bench.

The view is right under their noses. Personaly I love being near the front to see their faces, and for this show it was great to catch all the facial expressions, especially from Daniel Rigby.
Their feet are out of view for the most part, and you miss things right back of the stage but 90% of the action is out near the front. 
So for me, this was a good seat for the Friday Rush price.