Danny The Champion of the World by Roald Dahl. Adapted for
the stage by David Wood. Directed by James Scott. Honest Puck Theatre. Perform Australia
Theatre. Jan 10-17.
Roald Dahl’s engaging tale of a boy growing up with a
widowed dad involves poaching and pheasants and old cars and a gipsy caravan
and a conniving villain and a good old fashioned sense of community.
Director James Scott has come up with a gentle and genial production
that does justice to Dahl. He also takes on the role of Danny’s father with real
life son Leo Scott as Danny. Their on-stage collaboration is funny and true.
Leo Scott carries Danny’s narration with assurance and a good
humoured connection to the audience.
There’s a good supporting cast, with David Cain as the
villainous Victor Hazel*, Brendan Kelly as (among others) a genial Sergeant
Samways, Veronica Constance as a range of characters including the sensible Dr
Spencer and Katherine Berry notable for Hazel’s none too bright sidekick
Rabbetts.
Monica Engle is grand as Mrs Clipstone, the vicar’s
resourceful wife, complete with a baby Clipstone in a wonderful old pram.
Puppeteers Odessa Johnson and Lily Mae Harrison are deft
puppeteers, handling Jenny Oliver’s strikingly desisgned chooks and pheasant
puppets with a humorous sense of character. Hide their tumbling hair under caps and
you’d see even more of this.
The set is full of surprises; look out particularly for
falling pheasants, trundling cars and a cunning way to show someone trapped
down a hole.
And for those that know the book, the look of the show picks
up on Quentin Blake’s fidgety birds’ nest spiky illustrations, especially that
for the vicar’s wife.
Not a whiz bang holiday piece but a slowly developing story.
It’s one for a young audience that might like the encouragement to thought that Roald
Dahl generally provokes.
Alanna Maclean
* That’s the programme’s spelling. The book says ‘Hazell’
