Writer: Enid Blyton
Music: Ian Ross (and others)
Lyrics/Book Adaptor/Director: Emma Rice (and others)
Director: Emma Rice
Emma Rice, the director of this musical, first brought Malory Towers to the stage in July 2019 when it is performed at the Passenger Shed in Bristol, previously a terminus for the Great Western Railway at Bristol Temple Meads. The show is then due to tour in 2020 and is in technical rehearsals when the pandemic strikes.
However, this is never going to keep a good show down, and with the love that pours through all of Emma Rice’s work, audiences always know that this show will resurface with all the energy and inspiration of the original.
Based on a series of six books by the author Enid Blyton (published between 1946–51), this musical initially starts in the current day with the audience witnessing a case of bullying at school. The story then transports viewers back to post-war Britain where the latest Malory Towers cohorts board a train at Paddington Station for their journey to their new school in Cornwall.
As the new pupils take their seats, the audience is introduced to the key characters and learns about their personalities, such as the strong-willed and opinionated Darrell, the kind and shy Mary-Lou, and the spoilt Gwendoline.
Following their arrival, the audience shares in all their adventures and misdemeanours, with themes such as friendship, cruelty, and bullying being highlighted. There is also a strong message about how trauma caused by war affects survivors and their families long after peace is declared.
Whilst these messages hit home with the audience, this show is much more than a moral tale. There are some excellent scenes, such as the pupils going swimming, with great use of puppets. The cliff-hanger episode is also well produced, providing real tension to the tale. This is due in part to the imaginative set, designed by Lez Brotherston, which uses the back wall of the school hall to project graphics and video footage that add to the proceedings.
All the cast are exceptional, often providing the music themselves when not in a scene. Special mentions go to Robyn Sinclair (Darrell), Eden Barrie (Mary-Lou), and Rebecca Collingwood (Gwendoline), who are superb.
The music also adds much to the show, with songs such as Sing, Sing, Sing and Mr. Sandman providing some nostalgia. Many of the other songs are written by Ian Ross, the show’s composer, while the multi-talented Emma Rice often provides the lyrics herself.
At the end, the show reverts back to modern times, with the pupils now presented as strong, kind women who highlight that cruelty has no place in the real world. A message for our times?
This performance is exciting, inventive, and inspiring. Whilst this is a show that children enjoy (one child rates it 100 out of 5), it is also a lovely family show where adults leave with smiles on their faces.
A truly wonderful evening. A* for an amazing piece of work.
Runs until 9 May 2026 then continues on tour
