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Gangsta Granny
Belgrade Theatre, Coventry
**** OH! To be eight again! It’s such a joy to
go to the theatre and realise that the majority of the audience is under
five feet tall! And they were in for such a treat – though some of them
clearly knew the story very well already. Our starting premise is that all grannies smell
of cabbage, fart a lot and are dull as ditchwater. Ben (Ashley Cousins)
is 11 and the only child of a couple (Laura Girling and Benedict Martin)
who are obsessed with ‘Strictly’ and ballroom, particularly a star
called Flavio (Umar Malik), hoping that Ben abandons the idea of
becoming a plumber and takes to the stage. He reluctantly visits Granny (Louise Bailey) each
Friday while they go dancing – I loved the Driving Tango (must try that)
– he reads Plumbing Weekly avidly and eats Rolos, she tells him stories
about squirrels, eats a vast amount of cabbage and Murray Mints. She
also keeps an intriguing Coronation biscuit tin full of jewels … that
she claims came from a Charity Shop. Hmmmm . . . A nosy neighbour, naturally called Mr Parker
(Benedict Martin), comes prying and thinks he has discovered their plot
to steal the Crown Jewels. Now, would a sweet little grey-haired old
lady and an 11-year-old boy do a thing like that? I loved the scene of them on the mobility scooter
at comatose snail pace accompanied by a Police Officer (Alison Fitzjohn)
heading on the M1 to London. The rest is typically David Walliams
surreal fare, very funny, with lots of dancing and interaction – perfect
for the under five foot people. If I’m honest, I thought the second half could
have been shorter – it was 20 minutes longer than the first half, a
theatrical ‘no-no’ and the death of Granny unnecessary and poorly
thought through. It meant the piece ended on a sombre note and, if
I were reading it to children, I would have finished the story at
meeting the queen. It was a device, granted, to find out the value of
the jewels but could have been tackled a different way and much quicker. A word for the set – WOW! It was so busy, so
clever, so versatile and so beautiful, I wish Jacqueline Trousdale could
come and design my house! Beds were pulled out of towers, phones and
televisions out of cupboards, it was truly amazing. Directed by Neal Foster, this Birmingham Stage
Company production runs to 20-02-16 Jane Howard 16-02-16
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