On Wednesday 7th February, the Birmingham Stage Company gave a fantastic performance of ‘Awful Auntie’ at The Orchard Theatre in Dartford, Kent. This spectacular show, adapted and directed by Neal Foster, is based on the bestselling book written by David Walliams which was published in 2014.
Set in 1933, ‘Awful Auntie’ tells the story of 12-year-old Stella Saxby (played by Georgina Leonidas) who was caught up in a very suspicious car crash which killed both of her parents and left her as the heir to the family home - Saxby Hall. Can Stella protect her home from the evil grasp of her Awful Auntie (Timothy Speyer)? And was the accident that killed her parents actually an accident at all? Stella embarks on a mission to uncover the truth with the help of a friendly ghost named Soot (who was performed by Ashley Cousins).
As the audience flooded into the theatre, anticipation grew, and excitement fizzed in the atmosphere. The stage was set with an illuminated doll’s house, an eerie backdrop and spooky smoke lurking on the stage. From mysterious music to children’s comedy, and creative costumes to dramatic chase scenes, this show truly had it all. What I found particularly extraordinary was the incredibly realistic puppetry skills performed by Roberta Bellekom – or should I say Wagner the Great Bavarian Mountain Owl! Every actor on the stage gave amazing performances but, in my opinion, the most hilarious was the ancient butler Gibbon (played by Richard James) who served up slippers on toast and even mowed the carpets of Saxby Hall! Another incredible aspect to the show was the rotating set which certainly gave the play a modern twist!
An enthusiastic audience member, Johannah Hollands, explained that: “The actors were all extremely talented, but Ashley Cousins stole the show as Soot, in my opinion. Also, the puppetry throughout the performance was very impressive.”
‘Awful Auntie’ was an extremely entertaining performance and I can whole-heartedly say that it was the antithesis of awful! I would recommend it for all families with young children.
Emily Hollands
Farringtons School
