Every child reads
Roald Dahl at one point or another at school. Anarchic and more than a little
bit brilliant, Dahl’s stories operate in a world where children are victims and
heroes, where adults do bad things, and there is danger inside every glance,
every smile and every heartbeat, but more than anything else, Dahl’s stories
are about the unexpected, and revel in a kind of child-like logic where everything
can be something equally different, unique and brilliant. Perennial favourites
include Matilda,
James
and the Giant Peach, Charlie
and the Chocolate Factory and, my favourite, Danny
the Champion of the World. Dahl’s books have also undergone a
resurgence in recent years, with several making the transition from the page to
stages around the world: Tim Minchin wrote the music and lyrics for the RSC-produced
musical of Matilda; Sam Mendes directed a
musical of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory;
and now The Witches bursts
onto Griffin Theatre Company’s tiny
Stables theatre just in time for the school holidays.
And what a play it
is.
