• Advertise
  • Request Review
  • Write for Us
  • Privacy
  • Login

Theatre Bubble

The UK Theatre Network

Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy
  • Reviews
  • News
  • Features
  • Spotlight
  • Opinions
  • Interviews
  • Guides
  • Ed Fringe

Box of Delights at Wilton’s Music Hall

December 10, 2017 by Antonia Windsor Leave a Comment

Review of: The Box of Delights
Price:
£15-£35

Reviewed by: Antonia Windsor
Rating:
3
On December 10, 2017
Last modified:December 10, 2017

Summary:

An alternative Christmas show that sees John Masefield's mystical 1935 children's novel bought imaginatively to the stage by an ensemble of talented performers.

More Details

The faded grandeur of Victorian Wilton’s Music Hall in east London is a perfect fit for this re-imagining of John Masefield’s 1935 magical Christmas tale The Box of Delights. With a running time of 2 hours 40 minutes, including a 20-minute interval, this is a proper night out at the theatre and older children will delight in the occasion.

Matthew Kelly and Alistair Toovey in The Box of Delights at Wilton’s Music Hall
©Alastair Muir 05.12.17

Mathew Kelly takes the lead playing both the good and bad magicians – Cole Hawlings and Abner Brown – who are fighting over control of the magical box of delights. He adds just the right amount of “panto acting” to get the laughs without over egging it. Three children get swept up in the battle – orphan Kay Harker, played with great earnestness by Alistair Toovey and his cousins Mariah, played with gusto by Safiyya Ingar and Peter (Samuel Simmonds). Gun-slinging, pirate-loving Mariah gets some of the best lines in the show: “The only parties I like are in basements with jazz and men wearing makeup” and “what is the point of having a box of delights if we can’t delight in it?”

The story is loaded with twists and turns and the incredibly wordy script (by children’s author Piers Torday) is often hard to follow. I delighted in the moments when they stopped talking and broke out into haunting choral song or into set pieces of physical theatre (aided by Simon Pittman’s movement direction). The occasional use of puppetry and video art also helped make the story more engaging for the younger members of the audience. Particularly magical was a glittering puppet of a phoenix, designed by Samuel Wyer, that took flight to a chorus of “ahs” from the audience.

Ed Lewis’s music and sound design is superb, and left me wanting more. Several notes of the 1980s BBC theme tune are used to stir the memories of audience members who were around at the time, and we get enough Christmas songs to make us feel this is a festive show (although the Christmas day that ends the production feels a bit of damp finale, given all the build-up).

All in all it is an enjoyable evening’s entertainment, although it lacks pace at times and the first half feels overly long. If you are bringing kids with you it is best if they are heading out of primary school or in secondary because there are some threatening scenes that younger audience members may find frightening and they may lose concentration in the wordy parts.

 

Avatar

Author: Antonia Windsor

Filed Under: Featured, Review Tagged With: Box of Delights, Christmas show, Family sho, Mathew Kelly, Wilton's Music Hall

Join the discussion Cancel reply

INTERVIEW / Gavin Maxwell and William Townsend talk Anthropocene

Launching on this year’s World Earth Day (Thursday 22nd April), Anthropocene: The Human Era is a digital choose-your-own adventure from [Read More]

NEWS / Thick ‘n’ Fast announce new show General Secretary

Who run the world? A satirically comic journey through power and diplomacy as two highly unqualified women are suddenly landed [Read More]

Guides / 5 Tools for Actors to Enter the Theatre World like a Pro

Becoming a successful actor is no small feat. Fortunately, for those interested in improving their acting skills, plenty of tools [Read More]

NEWS / Digital Theatre & Arts Micro Festival Living Roots

Hot in the heels of the debut Living Record Festival in January-February 2021, the Living Roots Festival launches 5th April. [Read More]

Hands Face & Empty Space / Abel Law on becoming a musical theatre student during COVID

On the 17th March, it will be exactly one year since UK theatre came to an overnight standstill. Every day [Read More]

Top Posts & Pages

  • 10 Tips to Help You Prepare for Your Reality TV Auditions
  • Writing the Perfect Press Release
  • 5 Stage Elements to Consider for a Rousing Theatrical Production
  • Spotlight On: Mischief Theatre
  • New Cast Announced for Matilda the Musical
  • Boudica at Shakespeare's Globe
  • Interview with Sir Richard Stilgoe, lyricist of "Orpheus - The Mythical"
  • Goodnight Mr Tom
  • Unicorn Theatre appoints Justin Audibert as Artistic Director
  • How to Applying for Arts Grants and Funding
  • Avatar

    Antonia Windsor
    Author

  • December 10th, 2017
  • comment iconNo Comments
  • Facebook1TweetLinkedInEmail

    Newsletter

    Enjoyed what you've read? Get even more great content directly to your inbox - Completely Free

    About Theatre Bubble

    Theatre Bubble is the news, review and blogging site created by Blue Pie Media and run by a dedicated team of outstanding editors and writers: we're always looking for new contributors - to find out more click here.

    Contact Us

    News: news@theatrebubble.com
    Reviews: reviews@theatrebubble.com
    Website: webmaster@theatrebubble.com

    Privacy Policy

    Copyright © 2021 · Blue Pie Media

    Share this ArticleLike this article? Email it to a friend!

    Email sent!