Writer: David Walliams
Director: Scott Worsfold
In the heat of a June afternoon, the audience of Bad Dad, directed by Scott Worsfold, are welcomed into the cool converted mill space that is The Viaduct Theatre, Halifax. Families with children from toddlers up are welcomed to a simple set which quickly sets the scene of a foodbank.
This touring production by Heartbreak Productions gets off to a slightly slow start – technical issues with microphones (never a touring company’s best friend) hamper the energy with some lines being lost altogether on the nearly full house. However, despite these niggles, the ensemble cast work to establish rapport with the audience and get the story moving.
David Walliams’ Bad Dad is a wonderful choice to bring to life onstage; car chases, bank robberies and lots of characters create a brilliantly fun atmosphere for children to get whisked away by. Told through a series of flashbacks, we are taken on the journey of Gilbert, played by Darren Thorpe, who is the eponymous bad Dad – a Dad whose bad decisions are made for the love of his son, Frank, earnestly played by Gareth Tilley.
A plethora of other characters, goodies, baddies, questionable and comedic police officers, are all played by the endlessly adaptable Annie Charnock and Sarah Wynen. These quick character changes are reminiscent of the quick character changes made by parents and carers all over the world – slightly questionable accents for each new character, but done with so much love and enthusiasm, it adds to the joy of the play.
The set, as designed by Kate Wragg, is cleverly used throughout the production. With the main story being set at a foodbank, each new scene uses something you might find in that place; steering wheels made of food tins; beds, sofas, car seats fashioned from plastic food crates; cereal boxes as toy cars.
Children are invited onto the makeshift stage from time to time to help with the action, but Heartbreak Productions could have made more of this. Another aspect that could have been taken further was when our protagonists left the stage and moved into the seating – when this did happen, it was very well-received with apparent excitement from the children in the audience. Sadly though, this only occurred a few times throughout the near two-hour production – which is also quite the stint for a seven-year-old.
All in all, Heartbreak Productions’ Bad Dad delivered an enjoyable afternoon’s entertainment and the two children your reviewer was accompanied by thoroughly enjoyed themselves.
Reviewed on 10th June 2023. Touring until 3 September 2023 at various theatres and outdoor venues.
