FAMILY THEATRE
Dundee Rep Theatre, until Sat 31 Dec ★★★☆☆
Roald Dahl was never one to shy away from the dark side of life, but this lively new production from Dundee Rep Ensemble gives his somewhat macabre tale a light touch. The fun starts before a single word is spoken, via Ana Inés Jabares-Pita’s fabulous set, which is the star of the show.
Fluffy clouds hang high above the auditorium, and centre stage a large, imposing armchair swivels round to reveal Grandma – a woman with less maternal warmth than a lump of granite. To her right sits the family kitchen, above it the bedroom and across the stage the bathroom – each accessed through ingenious methods (such as pulled-out drawers that function as stairs).
Outside, the family shed is home to a host of inflatable animals, responsible for much of the show’s laughter. Because although Dahl’s work is loved the world over, George’s Marvellous Medicine is one of his slighter tales – and turning it into a full evening show is almost as tough as Grandma.
Adaptor Stuart Paterson and director Joe Douglas use clever theatrical devices to pad out the pages of Dahl’s book, which certainly helps. We’re also invited to join in an increasingly excitable chorus of ‘In it goes!’ as George searches the house for one nasty ingredient after another to pour into Grandma’s medicine bottle. Ann Louise Ross is superb as the nasty elder, and – aided by Michael John McCarthy’s perky soundscape – the rest of the cast throw as much energy as possible at the tale.
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Christmas shows always benefit from a warm, teary moment at the end, which this one sadly lacks, but given what Paterson and Douglas had to play with, they’ve done a pretty fine job here.
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