Roald Dahl's The Witches - NT Olivier

Saw last night’s performance and had a great time - I really enjoyed the visual flourishes and distinct colour palettes in different sets. Katherine Kingsley was wonderful and I really enjoyed her villain solo, and was definitely singing the soup song in my head all the way home. It got the right balance of light and dark for me and was very funny and charming.

I'm stunned by the lavishness of the praise, the Telegraph's (accurate, in my view) 3 star review notwithstanding. It's very much a work in progress and while there are some wonderful aspects to it - not least the phenomenal Bertie Caplan who is a child actor for the ages (until he becomes an adult, that is) - it's not yet ready for prime time. If it moves on to the US or elsewhere as is, I suspect they're in for a bit of a surprise. Matilda it ain't.

Katherine Kingsley, though, is perfection as always.

That is a seriously impressive set of reviews...

I don't know how practical a transfer is though - as ever they've built a show that's MASSIVE and could transfer to probably 3 theatres in the West End

I liked it on the 11th Nov looking at the reivews im guessing the creatives have made a lot of changes. However following this thread indicates they have not ...

Was there any tightening of running time at press night, or is still coming out after 2hr50?

This is not a 5* production. As much as I enjoyed it, it just is not. 4* at most.

It must have improved hugely since I saw it (albeit I endured a very long show stop in my preview). I'm going back on Tuesday for a second look, but originally I think I said this had the potential to be a good 4 star show if they could iron out the issues. It is certainly not 5 star by any stretch of the imagination.

Totally not a 5 star production, barely a 4. Oh well.

5 stars London Theatre
3 stars Guardian

There’s much to enjoy here. The casting was excellent. With a few cuts in the first act The Witches may have a future. I enjoyed the songs much more in Act two were there are two diva song, rats run a mock and children rebel! Yes, as the queen says, children are ….

Pick up the cues and really use that turntable until Trevor says enough.

I agree.

It’s pretty good, but it just lacks that extra bit it needs for 5 stars.

There’s no ‘When I grow up’ moment in it - nothing that truly takes your breath away or puts a lump in your throat.

I know that the lack of emotional reaction at the deaths of parents and children is very Dahlian, but it’s not in keeping with the basic premise of musical theatre, and makes the whole enterprise emotionally flat.

Caught this on press night last night and must say it left me underwhelmed.

All of those workshops and this is the best they can come up with?

The score is terrible. Most of the time it just feels like a load of shouting and banging.

Ironically the only catchy song is Get up and they decide to stick the kids in stupid costumes they can’t move in- that shouldn’t have even lasted one preview before being re-imagined. This wannabe anthem has nowhere to go due to the staging. Or lack of.

Sally Ann Triplett does her usual schtick. Her numbers are all terrible - NOT her fault.. the writing. They should have cut them.

The set is nice. And more elaborate than I expected having read comments here, but the ‘magic’ tricks are just so clunky and poor.

Star of the show is Katherine Kingsley who looks a million dollars (as usual) and is very funny.

All of the children are absolutely wonderful , Zoe Birkett absolutely wasted.

A very odd evening out and a show I don’t think should transfer without major rewrites. It’s also physically a bit production so if it did they’d have to scale it down as it would die in a big theatre (even if they managed to get one)