4 STARS, April 5-16. This is a grossly funny stage adaptation of Roald Dahl's disgusting antiheroes, says Jane McGowan
Pamela Raith
Dirty, nasty and rude! No, I am not talking about my teenage son (who is all of those things), but about Mr & Mrs Twit, the eponymous antiheroes of one of Roald Dahl’s best-loved books and who have arrived in suitably stinky style at the Rose Theatre in Kingston.
In this new production (a joint venture by The Rose and Leicester’s Curve Theatre), the despicable pair are revoltingly brought to life by Robert Pickavance as Mr Twit and Jo Mousley as his cruel-hearted wife ably abetted by a multi-talented group of Muggle-Wumps who also double as the chorus and orchestra.
The action begins with the rain-coated chorus bringing us up to speed about The Twits’ previous misdeeds. The fact that they are dressed in protective clothing doesn’t bode well and you can feel the tension building around the young audience well before the corrugated walls of the Twits’ caravan crash to the ground revealing a scene of domestic doom. Mr Twit is on the toilet (I will leave the rest of that description to your imaginations) and the leopard-skin lycra-clad Mrs Twit is embarking on a series of lunges that deliberately display her rather outsized derriere to the audience.
Although the site of Mr Twit’s stained underwear left the adults in the room wincing and turning away, the children obviously found it hilarious. And the grosser the Twits’ exploits (the worm spaghetti in particular), the more the children squealed.
Pamela Raith
The first part of the show (as with the book), feels a litter rudderless as the Twits take it in turns to play nasty tricks on each and there doesn’t seem to be a tangible plot. But once we are introduced to the Muggle-Wumps and the Roly-Poly Bird (some excellent stilt work from Jack Horner), the pace and narrative really start to pick up.
The second half benefits from some audience participation – including Mr & Mrs Twit striding menacingly through the audience with some giant water pistols – and there are songs to learn and even the removal of footwear which ultimately leads to the Twits’ demise.
Pickavance is quite frankly fabulous as Mr Twit, perfectly presenting the malice of Dahl’s character without tipping over into pantomime villainy. In fact, when we next read the book (as is a regular occurrence in our house), I shall forever picture Mr Pickavance in the role. Jo Mousley as Mrs Twit has to work hard to match her stage husband, but she nevertheless turns in a great performance which captures the character’s menace and marital misery.
And last but not least, I must mention the five supporting performers (Jack Horner, Luke Johnson, Alex Chang, Charlotte Workman and Liz Jadez) who not only sing, dance and narrate but also perform acrobatic routines (as the Muggle-Wumps) and play a selection of musical instruments, including, guitar, saxophone, flute and drums. Talk about multi-tasking! This multi-talented bunch drive the action and audience involvement along at a ferocious speed which is what you need if you are trying to keep hundreds of under 10s on the edge of their seats for over 90 minutes.
This is by far one of the best children shows I have seen in a while and would urge you to go and see it visit this Easter.
- The Twits is at the Rose Theatre, Kingston until April 16. For more details, visit rosetheatrekingston.org
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