Reviewed by Katy Hart
Wow! “What a quality evening – right up my street” in the words of my 10-year-old son who accompanied me last evening to the opening evening of Gangsta Granny, at the Bristol Hippodrome.
The production is based on the hilarious children’s book written by David Williams which features Ben, an eleven-year-old boy who gets sent to his Granny every Friday while his parents go out dancing. He dreads his Friday evenings as Granny is boring, and smells of cabbage, probably due to incredible amount of cabbage she eats and Ben has to endure endless games of scrabble and Granny’s windy problem.
Ben dreams of being a plumber and every week he visits Raj’s shop to buy ‘Plumbing weekly’. Ben’s parents dream of him being a professional dancer.
During one weekend visit to Granny, Ben gets up in the night and calls his parents to plead with them to collect him.
That following morning Ben discovers a biscuit tin on Granny’s shelf, to his amazement it is full with precious gems and jewels. He quickly replaces the tin on the shelf before Granny notices.
Ben made an impromptu visit to Granny one day, and saw that she was dressed in black. He follows her and she heads to a jewellers armed with a brick to throw through the window. Ben stops her, and they make their escape on her mobility scooter before the CCTV catches them.
Granny explains to Ben that she has a ‘dark’ past and is known as ‘The Black Cat’. She has in her youth stolen many precious jewels. Each gem has its own story, and Ben realises that Granny is not the boring old lady he had thought she was. As she is showing Ben the tin of treasure, Mr Parker (the nosey neighbourhood watch man) is watching through the window as he has noticed Ben is visiting on a Sunday (not his usual Friday visit). He keeps a very close eye on them.
Ben suddenly looks forward to each Friday evening with Granny, he comes up with the ultimate plan… to steal the Crown Jewels from the Tower of London. Using information on the sewer system from his plumbing weekly, they devise the most elaborate plan including Granny’s special chocolate cake to help the Beefeaters sleep. Despite this elaborate plan, things don’t go as expected and they end up meeting with the Queen, and even have a special mention in her annual Christmas speech.
I went along last evening thinking that my son would love the production, but came away loving it myself. The cast were phenomenal – they had the whole theatre laughing, participating, and totally engaged with their performance. It really did captivate both children and adults.
Granny (Louise Bailey) most definitely deserves a special mention – brilliantly portraying a sad, lonely old Granny with a little wind problem. You couldn’t help but love her.
Ben (Ashley Cousins) also gave an incredible performance – we especially loved his dance moves.
My son says this was so much better than the film, he would like to go back with his brothers to watch it again this evening.
Would we recommend this – ABSOLUTELY!
We would recommend arriving early as there were security checks taking place before admittance to the theatre. Also note the earlier start time for the evening show. (7pm).
Rating: 5/5
Tickets cost from £19 to £26.75 (plus £4 transaction fee).
Gangsta Granny is at the Waterside Theatre in Aylesbury from 31 May to 3 June 2017, for more information or to book tickets visit www.atgtickets.com/bristol or call the box office on 0844 871 3012.
Bristol Hippodrome, St Augustine’s Parade, Bristol, BS1 4UZ | 0844 871 3012
