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Crowning glory: Gilly Tompkins as Granny and Ashley Cousins as Ben intent on a right royal robbery Gangsta Granny
The New Alexandra Theatre
**** DAVID Walliams’ cabbage-loving,
Scrabble-playing, flatulent, international jewel thief of a granny has
been brought to glorious life to the delight of hundreds of young
cheering fans at the Alex. The world premiere of The Birmingham Stage Comp The stage adaptation,
by director – and the stage company’s actor/manager Neal Foster –
closely follows the book and its story of Ben, the young lad dumped on
his gran every Friday so his parents can indulge their passion for
Strictly Stars Dancing. And Gran feeds him a cabbage related diet, plays
Scrabble and sends him to bed earlier than at home . . . boring!
That is until Ben discovers Gran’s secret . . . hidden in a biscuit tin . . . as the queen of crime, a gangsta granny . . . and the adventure begins. Ashley Cousins as Ben and Gilly Tompkins as
Granny create a cracking stage relationship and there were a few eyes
being dabbed when Granny shuffled off her mortal coil – and creating an
emotional involvement with an audience in what is a rather fanciful
children’s adventure is no mean feat. Louise Bailey and Benedict Martin as the ballroom
obsessed mum and dad were over the top fun, desperate to see Ben become
not a plumber, as he wanted, but a professional ballroom dancer . . . Martin continues the fun as the annoying,
snooping, neighbourhood watch self-appointed supremo Mr Parker – dual
roles that demanded a few quick changes. Bailey, incidentally, did a fine job standing in
for the indisposed Laura Girling on opening night while also appeared in
her normal role as the Queen – all part of the fun of being in a small
cast. Around them we had Umar Malik as local newsagent
Raj and ballroom star Flavio while Alison Fitzjohn, Richard James and
Aaron Thiara gave us policemen matrons, nurses, traffic wardens, street
sweepers, Beefeaters and every other character needed. Foster cleverly uses a whole population of
characters to make the rapid scene changes on the flexible set from
Jacqueline Trousdale. The set cleverly uses pull out beds, phones and
all manner of things on three revolving blocks that can be everything
from the Tower of London to a ballroom, to gran’s parlour to mum and
dad’s lounge, all with a turn and a few slides. All very slick and neat
and tidy. If there was a fault then the ballroom
competition scene could perhaps be looked at again to either be
shortened or given more substance. The competition in the book is a
beacon of naffness but naff
A small point but it was the one area where
children started to get a little restless, not that that lasted long
mind you. We were back to the main action before real fidgeting set in.
As for the rest? The youngsters loved it, as the
seen by the prolonged cheers at the end, and when they were encouraged
to join the cast in getting up to dance they needed no second
invitation. When it comes to youngsters you can’t go far
wrong with a silly story littered with farts and references to bums –
although hidden within the fun, fast paced show is a serious message
that youngsters should treasure rather than waste their special
relationship with grandparents. The chances are they are not going to be
a part of their lives that long and they and their lives and experiences
are a lot more interesting – and valuable -than youngsters might think.
And we oldies will all raise a glass of Wincarnis to that . . . as long
as it is not too late, what with bladders at night and all that . . . Children’s productions are important, vital to
the lifeblood of the industry; they sell the whole idea of the magical
world of live theatre to the next generation and, from the smiling faces
and exciting chatter from the youngsters as they left, Messrs Walliams
and Foster and a fine cast have done their bit well. To 12-12-15 Roger Clarke
07-12-15 Gangsta Granny heads off on tour and is at Coventry Belgrade from 16-20 February, 2016, returns to the Alex from 27June - 2 July, 2016 and is at Derby Theatre 16-20 Nov 2016. David Walliams talks about his own "Gangsta" grannies
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any’s
adaptation was also enjoyed by Walliams himself who appeared on stage at
the end to even greater cheers. 
perhaps
needs more sophistication to be expressed successfully on stage.