Reviewed by Lindsay Burton
The son of the man who invented the Bumfresh toilet roll has everything that a 12-year-old could possibly dream of… and then some! With a massive TV in every room in his enormous mansion, Formula One racing cars, hundreds of pairs of trainers, two pet crocodiles and an in-house water slide, the robot butler catering to his every whim just seems like something every other 12-year-old not only wants but needs! More chocolate than he could ever eat; more video games he could ever play, more of everything, at his fingertips, whenever he wants. And the one thing he truly wants, is the one thing that money can’t buy: a friend.
This engaging musical adaptation of popular British actor, author, comedian, Britain’s Got Talent judge and TV presenter David Walliams’ 2010 novella – adapted and directed by Neal Foster and produced by the Gangsta Granny/Horrible Histories team – brings the inspiring story of Joe’s perplexing dilemma, blending plenty of playful humour and frolicsome charm with a strong but subtle moral message that my three children felt strongly about.
Matthew Gordon is instantly loveable as poor little rich boy Joe, artfully lurching from knowing being old beyond his years to nowhere near as mature as more streetwise boys of his age tend to be as each fast-paced scene unfolds. As Joe’s new-found (but almost lost) friend Bob – the straight-talking, thoroughly grounded kid whom Joe meets when his dad allows him to attend the local comprehensive rather than his uppity private school – Davy Bell does a glorious job of keeping Joe balanced with what’s real and what’s fake, despite threats from smooth talking, cool dude Jayden (Bernard Mensah): a boy who most definitely isn’t as sincere as he seems and hiding a little but very important secret. Emma Matthews is deliciously daft as crazy dinner lady Mrs Trafe, Rosie Coles as Joe’s dad’s opportunistic gold digger girlfriend Sapphire; Aosaf Afzal, as Raj, is the corner shop owner that makes us all long for the good old days before the modern supermarkets made real corner shops redundant. But overall, Jason Furnival as Joe’s dad was definitely the highlight of mine and my family’s experience! Whether he’s desperately trying (but failing awfully) to make his son happy, carelessly giving his heart away to a money loving harpy or flying his helicopter to Joe’s school in a scene that is as spectacular as one can imagine with a helicopter on stage, he delighted the audience with his performance.
Walliams definitely has a knack for turning weird and even gross into funny and charming but it’s all wonderfully entertaining; when it comes to inspiring stories for kids of all ages, this writer definitely is fabulously talented! With the family fun filled show in town for only a few days, there is just about enough time to book tickets – you wouldn’t want to miss this with theatre hospitality at its very best with the Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham.
Rating: 5/5
Tickets cost from £13 (plus £3.65 transaction fee).
Billionaire Boy is at the Alexandra Theatre in Birmingham from 20-23 November 2019, for more information or to book tickets visit www.atgtickets.com/birmingham or call the box office on 0844 871 3011.
The Alexandra Theatre, Suffolk Queensway, Birmingham, West Midlands, B5 4DS
