Writer: Enid Blyton
Adaptor and Director: Emma Rice
Enid Blyton’s works may be decades old, but they are well and truly living on – the pages now being read by new young avid readers and being adapted widely for both stage and screen.
Directed and adapted by Emma Rice, this latest production of Malory Towers is being hosted at the beautiful HOME Manchester – creating a wonderfully intimate and immersive performance for audiences of all ages.
The show transports some Gen Z school kids back in time to the 1940s – retelling some of the moments from the iconic books and showcasing the many wonderful and varying personalities of the Malory Towers’ girls. Due to some sensitive moments in Act 2 (touching on the death of one of the girls’ fathers following the World War) the show is being recommended for ages 8+.
The show follows the shy Mary-Lou Atkinson (Eden Barrie), the naughty and funny Alicia Johns (Molly Cheesley), the bolchy and show off Gwendoline Lacey (Anna Soden), the musical and talented Irene DuPont (Stephanie Hockley), the hot headed leader Darrell Rivers (Robyn Sinclair), the tomboy Billy Robinson (Zoe West) and the rule keeper Sally Hope (Bethany Wooding) on their many adventures. There’s no stand out performance and that’s said in the nicest possible way – with this group of performers working flawlessly as a team to create something that is truly unique and special.
For some of the girls, you’re not just looking at triple threats, but quadruple ones, with some playing musical instruments live on the stage as well.
There’s also a wonderful cameo voice performance from the formidable Dame Sheila Hancock as Miss Grayling, which is another lovely imaginative touch.
The direction and vision of Rice is to be commended – a variety of storytelling methods, including puppetry and projections, being put to use to create a delightful and theatrical experience for audiences.
A musical score accompanies the performances beautifully, often playing under dialogue to add the right emotion to the scene. And while not a full scale musical, there is singing and dancing throughout the show (think, a play with music) – covering a variety of nostalgic and original tunes. Some of these are more memorable than others and there perhaps doesn’t need to be as many, but moments like The Malory Towers Hymn, Mr Sandman, Daddy’s Little Girl and Sing Sing Sing do leave a lasting impression.
The set is simple but very effective, with one simple structure acting as the backdrop for a variety of settings and props being used, where possible, to enhance the scene.
And even the programme has an old school feel about it, offering a fun ‘which character are you’ quiz, which grabs the attentions of children from the get go.
Whether you’ve read the collection of Malory Towers books or not, this is one of the most feel-good, fun and ‘warm fuzzy feeling’ family shows out there – a production that gets (nearly) top marks across the board!
Runs until 13 June.
