If you're looking for a half-term treat that’s full of laughs, don't miss out on seeing Awful Auntie at the Cambridge Arts Theatre.
Having previously brought David Walliams' other stories including Gangsta Granny, Billionaire Boy and Demon Dentist to life at the same venue, the Birmingham Stage Company's production is once again extremely cleverly done.
While multiple locations within one central location are depicted via a rotating stage, the use of puppetry is also, without giving too much away, very impressive.
Though a small cast of just five, each actor plays up to their role brilliantly too.
Neal Foster as Awful Auntie Alberta, with all the nasty tricks, is great, really hamming it up as a Mrs Trunchbull-style panto villain.
Annie Cordoni, who plays Stella, is equally as impressive in the role of the posh orphan.
Then there’s Matthew Allen as Soot, a ghost who, naturally, loves to make things go bump in the night and show off his knowledge of Cockney rhyming slang, befitting to the 1930s era.
Wagner the owl, convincingly portrayed by puppeteer and actor Emily Essery, added another dimension to the production too.
The standout, however, was Zain Abrahams as Gibbon, whose bumbling antics and forgetful nature made for plenty of laugh out loud moments.
Throughout the show, there are many witty one-liners and likeable (or unlikeable) characters as well as plenty of funny set pieces, including one slapstick 'get your own back' routine that recalled one of the arts theatre’s pantomimes.
Sharing similarities with Roald Dahl’s stories, specifically Matilda, the messaging is done subtly until near the end when a metaphor is effectively delivered about the importance of enjoying your childhood years and not wishing your life away.
As with all good shows aimed at a younger audience, the moral of the story will likely hit home - particularly with the parents and grandparents in the audience.
Awful Auntie is at the Cambridge Arts Theatre until Sunday June 2.
Tickets can be booked online.
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