Fantastic Mr. Fox at the Orchard Theatre Dartford Review
Fantastic Mr. Fox
Orchard Theatre, Dartford
28 February to 5 March 2017
Reviewed by Louise Watts
Growing up, I remember listening to Roald Dahl’s Fantastic Mr. Fox in the car. The story about how a brave clever fox managed to outwit 3 not so clever farmers – Boggis, Bunce and Bean. Now some 30 years later, this wonderful story has been adapted for the stage by Sam Holcroft and performed by the Nuffield Southampton Theatre and Curve Production in association with Lyric Hammersmith. I was desperate to have the opportunity to see my favourite childhood story performed on stage and was really hoping that I wouldn’t be disappointed.
I visited the Orchard Theatre in Dartford yesterday evening with my son for the opening performance of “Fantastic Mr. Fox”. The theatre was welcoming and staff were all very friendly and accommodating. We took our seats and waited in anticipation for the show to commence. The performance started with 4 birds singing acapella which had the audience’s attention immediately. It became apparent later that these birds also doubled as the orchestra. There was something rather amusing about a singing bird playing the drums! They were amazing though both in their singing ability and the orchestral quality.
Boggis, Bunce and Bean then entered the stage and sang their farmers song. This was brilliant – full of humour and entertainment. This show was certainly going to meet my expectations if it continued like this!
The story continued with outstanding performances from all members of the cast. Greg Barnett, Lillie Flynn and little Jade Croot put amazing effort in performing as the Fox family and their family unit was truly believable! The costumes were perfect too. The Fox family were joined by their friends Badger (Raphael Bushay) who also doubled as farmer Boggis, Mole (Gruffudd Glyn) who also doubled as farmer Bunce, Kelly Jackson as mouse and the hilariously funny but slightly dippy Rabbit played by Sandy Foster. Farmer Bean (Richard Atwill) also doubled as a rather inebriated Rat. By far my favourite character was Bunce and my favourite costume was Badger.
Sam Holcroft has certainly done a fantastic job adapting this story for stage and credit also to Arthur Darvill for his amazing compositions. The musical side to the show was incredible. The songs were very simple and captivating for the children in the audience but the story was portrayed perfectly through the music and lyrics.
It was a delight to be able to see the band on stage and not hidden. I enjoy it so much more when you can see them and I feel the audience give them the full credit they deserve when they are on stage. They are an essential part of the production and I believe they should not be hidden away! The set itself was very clever. It was a revolving set but was adapted brilliantly to fit every part of the story – a true masterpiece which contributed massively to making the show the success it was.
The running time was a little over 2 hours with an interval. My only minor criticism was the interval seemed to go on for a very long time and could certainly have been shorter, especially as the bulk of the audience were children and it was a school night.
That being said, I thought the show was an absolute Roald Dahl delight and I am sure he would be very proud of the way his famous story has been adapted for the next generation of children to enjoy on stage as well as the book. Myself and my son thoroughly enjoyed our time at the Orchard Theatre and would definitely recommend this show to all children and any adults who are as big a fan as I am. A well deserving 5/5 from us.
Rating: 5/5 
Tickets cost from £17.50 to £22.50 (booking fees may apply).
Fantastic Mr. Fox is at the Orchard Theatre in Dartford until 5 March 2017. For more information or to book tickets click here or call the box office on 01322 220000.
The Orchard Theatre, Home Gardens, Dartford, DA1 1ED | 01322 220000
