Review: Roald Dahl's 'The Witches' at Beaumaris Theatre

The late and beloved Roald Dahl is an eternal icon of children's literature, having easily earned his oft-given title as one of the greatest children's storytellers of the 20th century. Dahl's books, including such classics as Charlie and The Chocalate Factory, Matilda, Fantastic Mr. Fox, and The B.F.G, among many more, have sold over 300 million copies worldwide, with many of them having been adapted into other forms of media, including films, radio dramas, and stage plays.

Background on 'The Witches'

Among Dahl's many classic children's tales, one of his later efforts, The Witches, published in 1983, particularly stands out.

The novel tells the story of a young Boy, recently orphaned following a car crash, moving in with his elderly Grandmother. In the hope of protecting the Boy, the Grandmother teaches him how to identify Witches, who appear as regular women to the naked eye.

REAL WITCHES dress in ordinary clothes and look very much like ordinary women. They live in ordinary houses and they work in ORDINARY JOBS. That is why they are so hard to catch.

A REAL WITCH hates children with a red-hot sizz-ling hatred that is more sizzling and red-hot than anyhatred you could possibly imagine.

A REAL WITCH spends all her time plotting to get rid of the children in her particular territory. Her passion is to do away with them, one by one.

It is all she thinks about the whole day long. Even if she is working as a cashier in a supermarket or typing letters for a businessman or driving round in a fancy car (and she could be doing any of these things), her mind will always be plotting and scheming and churning and burning and whiz-zing and phizzing with murderous bloodthirsty thoughts.

-Excerpt from Roald Dahl's 'The Witches', 1983

Unfortunately, the Boy and his Grandmother go on a holiday that is quickly derailed upon the Boy's discovery that the yearly meeting of England's Witches, masquerading as the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, is taking place in the same Hotel where they are staying. The Boy is discovered and captured by the Grand High Witch herself, and along with fellow young Hotel guest Bruno Jenkins, is transformed into a mouse.

What follows is a tale of bravery and adventure as The Boy-Mouse and his Grandmother fight to stop the Witches and ensure that all the children of England do not share his fate.

The Witches is a popular story for the primary school age bracket, so most kids of the nineties and beyond will have experienced it in some form, be it the book, the popular 1990 film starring Anjelica Huston..

..Or the more recent 2020 version, starring Anne Hathaway and Octavia Spencer.

However, for anyone young or young at heart yet to see The Witches spring to life from the pages of Roald Dahl's classic book, a stage production of The Witches, such as the community production currently running at Beaumaris Theatre, is a fun experience for all ages.

Here's a quick review.

Performances

While Beaumaris Theatre's The Witches cast includes some regulars of the local Community Theatre scene, many are actors performing in their very first production. You would not be able to tell that this is the case.

Every cast member, be they a lead or part of the ensemble, makes their presence known. Even in the background, no-one sits idle. This truly brings the story to life. Emma Blake as The Grand High Witch, and Alexander Coghlan in his stage debut as The Boy are particular standouts in an impressive cast.

Stage Craft and effects

To truly convey the story of The Witches in a satisfying way requires puppetry and minor visual effects. Beaumaris Theatre's production utilises both effectively, particularly for a community theatre production.

Even in those hopefully rare scenarios where an effect doesn't come off entirely to plan, the cast holds character in such a way that most audiences will be unlikely to notice.

Warnings

While The Witches is often touted as a story for all ages, there are some creepy moments with the witches, which may be a little too intense for very young children. And, one final note, children unfamiliar with the book may be caught off guard or upset at the story's bittersweet ending.

Otherwise, it's a day of fun for the whole family!

'The Witches' runs for two more weeks at Beaumaris Theatre, 82 Wells Rd, Beaumaris, Vic, 3193. Get your Tickets Here.