Bedknobs and Broomsticks - U.K. & Ireland Tour

Saw the show last night at the Orchard. I have to say, I thoroughly enjoyed it. I thought the effects and stagecraft were done in a very clever way and worked much better than I expected. The cast were all in top form and it was very fun evening. The film is a nostalgic favourite of mine and I felt that this was a decent adaptation. One thing I did notice was that they made Mr. Browne less self-confident than he was in the film, which I did find kind of strange. I can believe he wouldn't have confidence in his magic skills, but in the film he still had a level of self-assurance, particularly in "The Beautiful Briny".

However, like what some others who have seen the show have said on this thread, I wasn't crazy about the ending. It honestly felt like a bit of a cop out to end it like that and it did take away a little of the magic. But for me the most irritating part of the evening was the audience! The people sitting behind me kept talking and laughing at certain points in Act 1, that it made it difficult for me to hear what the actors were saying. Thankfully they left during the interval.

But overall, I really enjoyed the musical. I wonder if the tour is successful enough, they will bring it to the West End and maybe "upgrade" it? (Sorry to sound like a Cyberman) In terms of sfx?

Just had an email from Curve in Leicester, week 1 going ahead but week 2 cancelled. No real explanation as to why. It hasn't been selling amazingly well so I'm wondering if that's why?

Any news of the supposed London transfer?

wanting to see this at the end of the month, where’s best to sit?

Finally saw this over the weekend in Cardiff. It was joyful. The magic is clever (even though there was a show stop when the bed failed to appear at one point), the musical arrangements stunning - adding depth to many of the original songs ("Nobody's Problems" is a particular standout), the new music fits well (though there's nothing particularly groundbreaking or memorable in there) and most of the tweaks to the main narrative to fit the stage are done sensitively and cleverly. In my opinion, this is a perfect example of how to successfully adapt a movie into a stage musical, done by a creative team who understand the new medium but obviously have a love and respect for the source. Sure, it looks a little small in a huge space like the Millennium Centre, but not distractingly so and it's covered well with the design of the set. I assume it would be scaled up again if it were to hit a more permanent home in London.

Like many other posters, t's another big thumbs down from me for the ending, though. I absolutely loved it until that point and they had well and truly sucked me into this world of magic set against the backdrop of the second world war, especially with a new backstory for Miss Price and some fleshing out of the children's. And then it really feels like they break that magic completely with the choice of ending. It's not even the concept as much as the execution. The rest in spoilers:



Hopefully it will get changed somehow in a future London run since it seems the consistent negative in reviews, but either way I hope to see it again since otherwise it was the perfect balance of nostalgia, emotion and spectacle.

Has anyone worked how the flying effects in this show work? I would love to know ! (Perhaps someone could explain, but hidden in a spoiler?)

Is the bed just a case of a “bed on a stick” or it is a bit more lavish than that?

The bed was quite an easy one, but it took a few viewings to work out the window.

Saw this last night at Curve. Having not seen the film, it's an odd show isn't it?

I found the covers to be first class, but the actor playing Browne stood out for me.
As mentioned above, this isn't the high tech Disney stage show you might expect. I agree it has its own charm and style but there are so many bits of set that need lugging on and off. The cast must be exhausted. At one point I'm sure I saw one cast member chuck a bit of scenery offstage.
The show is clunky and slow at times particularly at the beginning. Great effects, some nice moments especially towards the end of Act 1, but forgettable songs. It's the cast that bring it all together especially the ensemble.

Loads of heart and a magical story.
Another great night out at Curve

I had a great night last night in Liverpool watching this and it was a really enjoyable stage version of the film. As other board members have posted, this show really has a lot of charm and magic about it. I thought there was a nice blend of both the more technical stuff with the broomstick and bed sequences and the simpler staging of moving bits of scenery by hand by the cast. I really loved the use of the puppets in the show, especially during the Nopeepo Lagoon part in Act 2 (Loved Norton the fish). Cast-wise, Charles Brunton as Browne and Conor O'Hara as Charlie were the standouts for me.

Rating - 4 stars.

This appears to have sold so much better in Wolverhampton than it did in Birmingham??? Where tickets were being sold for £14 just to fill the theatre
Wolverhampton tickets are between £55-60 top price and cheapest tickets and I’ve never really got this
On seating plan says listening only !!! So you can’t even watch the show just hear it for £27-30 🤔🙄🤪