The Wales Millennium Centre was forced to close its door early just after Christmas on Beauty and the Beast thanks to pandemic restrictions, so it’s fitting they reopen with another Disney musical, one which may not be as well know, but one certainly filled with good old Disney magic.
BEDKNOBS AND BROOMSTICKS has landed onto the Donald Gordon stage, on its premier UK tour, and this is one show which does not disappoint.
The music comes from the pen of the Sherman Brothers, and while you may not instantly recognise them by name, you are guaranteed to know their songs. They have turned out some of the most memorable, ear-worm tunes to grace any screen and stage. You ready for this lot?
- MARY POPPINS
- CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG
- THE ARISTOCATS
And for those of us who have sat on the famous ride in Walt Disney World, the Brothers are responsible for ‘It’s A Small World After All…….’ Yes, they turned out the catchiest, most annoying song to ever grace a theme park ride. Even now it’s running around in my head.
So you come into Bedknobs and Broomsticks knowing the music is great, but of course this is a Disney show, and what we really want is magic, and that is exactly what we get. The set is magnificent, as are the illusions, both created by Jamie Harrison, one of the Wizarding team behind Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.
But the show is much more than songs and special effects, it really is the best of what theatre has to offer – puppets, incredible lighting, and of course a superb cast headed by DIANNE PILKINGTON, who is terrific from start to finish as Eglantine Price. It was Angela Landsbury who starred in the movie, and is always going to be a hard act to follow, but Dianne does it effortlessly. I defy you not to be moved when she sings ‘The Age Of Not Believing.’
This is not a one woman show however, and the rest of the cast are equally top notch.
CHARLES BRUNTON is the not so perfect magician Emelius Browne the Headmaster of the Emelius Browne Correspondence College of Witchcraft. Charles knows what life is like for the young actors in the show, he actually made his stage debut at the age of 9 in Nine. He also has a lot of stage history with Dianne and Disney, and that shows when they are on stage together, the chemistry is magical too. He starred alongside Dianne in a UK Tour of Beauty and the Beast where he played Lumière and Monsieur D’Arque.
The three Rawlins children command the stage from the opening sequence.
If you don’t know the story its about the three children who are evacuated from London during the Blitz, to see out the war in good old rural England. This is Disney and they certainly don’t shy away from tragedy, the children’s parent were actually killed in a bomb blast which destroyed the family home.
And it’s that backdrop which is the opening of the show. In fact when you come into the auditorium you see the stage blacked out, apart from a small bedroom in the centre. From here, the most incredible seven minutes of carefully choreographed theatre begins, and if you have seen the Harry Potter play, you can definitely feel the influence of Jamie Harrison.
The opening sequence is one of the best you’ll see anywhere. The Donald Gordon stage is big and yet you still fell the intimacy of the children’s small bedroom, all before the most amazing opening gets underway.
The room explodes away, spotlights flash around while air raid sirens belt out. Within seconds it all changes. The moon rises, a train speeds into life, a door moves onto stage and we find ourselves in the evacuation office. Please don’t be late for the show, the opening really is a must-see. Not only for the effects, but more so the incredibly timing and precision of the cast and crew. It really is a breath-taking opening scene.
There’s a lot to take in with the stage filled with the ensemble cast, who move the scenery around the ever changing set, creating the illusion for the children to perform around. I did wonder why the scenery was moved by people and not machinery (or magic), but actually the main set piece had far more impact because of it – I’ll explain more shortly.
When the children are evacuated to live with the mysterious Eglantine Price, they have no idea what adventures lie ahead. When they realise that Miss Price is a trainee witch, they join forces to search for a secret spell that will defeat the enemy once and for all. Armed with an enchanted bedknob, a bewitched broomstick and a magical flying bed, they encounter surprising new friendships on their journey from Portobello Road and beyond.
One of the main production numbers is set in Protobello Road. The stage is awash with colour and cast, and has a real feel of a war torn London market. It’s here we get to see the entire company doing what they do best as performers, it’s really good.
The cast really are multi-talented and skilled, slipping from the chorus, to scene shifting and adept puppeteers. The original movie has a famous animation sequence, a little like Mary Poppins, and it’s this section that the puppets magically fill.
The most famous song in the movie is The Beautiful Briny Sea, and it is here the puppets come into their own. I can’t lie, we were all having a little sing-a-long to ‘bobbing along’ at that point and completely lost in the magical world beneath the sea.
I was fortunate to spend time with Richard Sherman during one of his visits to London (I still have my signed copy of Mary Poppins), and we talked a lot about this song and how it captured the ‘underwater’ feel so well, they’ve done just that in this production and it’s one of the stand-out moments in the show.
So, let’s come onto the show stealing magical moments, particularly the flying bed. I mentioned that the cast spend a lot of time moving scenery around and a bit of cloud carrying. But make no doubt about it, Disney have waved their magic wand, and sprinkled Tinkerbell dust all over the bed, you really will believe it flies. Even now I have absolutely no idea how they do it.
Disney are really good at creating these magical stage moments, the transformation in Beauty and the Beast, in Frozen the Musical, Anna’s dress change, which is incredible by the way, but here in Bedknobs, the flying bed is something else. I don’t know how, and choose to believe it is simply Disney magic.
Actually, the broomstick is pretty good too. Long before Potter was a champion flier, magical broomsticks were part of the Disney film and now show. We reckon Dianne would give Harry a run for his money on this front – can he sing and fly like she can on a broomstick? I think not……
The broomstick on stage, is like the one in the movie, playful and filled with a life of its own. It’s the kind of Disney magic we’ve come to love over the years.
There are more than a few other equally good magical moments, which had the audience, young and old, smiling in amazement. You need to see the show, and watch closely around the stage to see them all.
When Bedknobs was originally made it was frequently compared to Mary Poppins, and yes there are a lot of similarities. But as a stage show it stands firmly on its own two feet – some of which feature in those magical moments by the way.
There’s additional songs by Neil Bartram, and Brian Hill’s book seamlessly combines emotion, and humour for Eglantine and the three ‘Rawlins’ children.
Charlie, the eldest of them is played perfectly by Conor O’Hara. He does the troubled teen thing really well, especially as he moves into “the age of not believing” – cue song.
The younger children we saw may well be different to the young actors you get to see, but we feel certain they will all be equally as good.
The Rawlins children will be played by Dexter Barry, Izabella Bucknell, Haydn Court, Poppy Houghton, Evie Lightman and Aidan Oti.
The rest of the company includes Mark Anderson, Jessica Aubrey, Georgie Buckland, Kayla Carter, Jonathan Cobb, Jacqui Dubois, Matthew Elliot-Campbell, Sam Lupton, Rob Madge, Vinnie Monachello, Nathaniel Morrison, Conor O’Hara, Sadie-Jean Shirley, Robin Simoes Da Silva, Emma Thornett and Susannah Van Den Berg.
Just want mention Rob Madge who is particularly good as Norton the Fish – the kids loved him.
There are a few differences between the film and stage story, which we won’t spoil for you, but needless to say, this is Disney so you will no doubt presume that it will all come good in the end.
Some reviews say the show is all about the Bed and the Broomstick – well yes it is, the title says that. But like most good Disney tales, it’s filled with heart and compassion. Look at how the show begins, with the children losing their parents.
We are taken on a magical journey as the kids try to find their way in a cruel world, which has literally torn them apart. What we get is love and humour wrapped up with some great songs and amazing effects. There is a twist to the tale and it’s an emotional one, and one many of us can actually relate to, so be prepared for a little moment.
BEDKNOBS AND BROOMSTICKS is everything you’d want from a Disney Musical and is definitely something for children and adults alike. It’s not here for long so get in quick. You only have until Saturday to catch it at the Wales Millennium Centre, and we would urge you to see it if you can, it’s something very special.
We loved it, as did everyone else we spoke to after the show. We feel sure you will too.
Performances are at 7:30pm each evening with a 2:30pm matinee on Wednesday and Saturday. For more information and tickets, go HERE.
And you can look back at our preview feature HERE.
