Billionaire Boy At Theatre Royal, Nottingham Review

Reviewed by Catherine Brown

Fans of David Walliams books will be excited to hear that his 2010 book ‘Billionaire Boy’ has been adapted for the theatre and is currently being performed by the Birmingham Stage Company at the Theatre Royal, Nottingham. Filled with comedy and drama, the show is a fantastic study of whether money can make you happy along with tales of friendship and family units.

On Joe Spud’s 12th birthday all he wants from his distracted father (Matthew Mellalieu), inventor of Bum Fresh toilet rolls, is a friend. Instead all Joe (Matthew Gordon) gets to go with his sports car and 2 crocodiles is 1 million pounds. As a compromise Joe is allowed to leave the posh private school of St Cuthbert’s, where he was being bullied, and start at the local comprehensive. Here Joe attempts to keep his identity a secret and makes friends with a boy called Bob played by Jake Lomas.

The pair of boys work together to avoid eating Mrs Strafe in the canteen’s cockroach cake – with a fantastic adaptation of the song ‘Food Glorious Food’. They attempt to dodge the bullying twins known as The Grubs and the scam tactics of local shopkeeper Raj – a key member of all Walliams’ stories. When Joe forgets his homework his identity is revealed when his dad flies in by helicopter to deliver it.

To help lift Joe’s spirit, but unbeknown to him, his dad sends in JJ (Matthew Chase) an actor to befriend Joe. Sadly Bob gets ignored and discovers that Joe paid the Grubs not to bully him anymore. Eventually Joe realises that love and friendship can’t be bought. By this time all the family money has gone anyway thanks to a disaster with the new version of Bumfresh toilet roll which is turning bottoms purple.

While all the actors were good, I was particularly impressed by Rosie Coles who played Dad’s greedy fiancé Sapphire. She sang a fantastic number detailing her birthday wish list including the island of Ibiza! Matthew Gordon also stood out for me as the main character Joe Spud as he portrayed the angst of a teenager brilliantly.

The adapter and director Neal Foster is the actor / manager of Birmingham Satge Company. Since their foundation in 1992 they have staged over one hundred productions and are looking forward to moving onto another Walliams story ‘Demon dentist’ soon. who Each half ran for just under 50 minutes which was perfect for the young audience. Under 14s must be accompanied by an adult and there is a warning of flashing lights, smoke and haze for anyone with sensitivities.

The Theatre Royal, built in 1865 and most recently refurbished in 1978, is a four tiered theatre located in the heart of Nottingham City Centre. It has seven fully licensed bars including The Yan Bar serving tapas and pizza and The Dress Circle Restaurant offering elegant dining and drinks. There are plenty of public car parks nearby and a tram stop right outside. The staff were friendly and helpful and the facilities clean.

I loved the energy and drama created by the cast and found the whole show entertaining. If you enjoyed the book, or even if you are new to David Walliams humour, this is definitely a show worth watching.

Tickets from £13.50 to £29.50 can be bought at www.trch.co.uk or by calling the box office on 0115 989 5555. The show runs until Sunday 10th July.

Rating: The play has a well deserved rating of 5/5