All Creatures Great and Small at the New Theatre, Cardiff Review
All Creatures Great and Small
New Theatre, Cardiff
10-14 June 2014
Reviewed by Leah Roberts
Having read the book and seen the TV adaptation of All Creatures Great and Small I couldn’t wait to see how Simon Stallworthy adapted the story to translate for the stage. Honestly, the wait was well worth it. AMAZING!
As the curtain rose for the first time I was just awestruck, the set was phenomenal. There was even an audible “wow” from the audience. I thought it was so brilliantly thought out and realistic, the gate swapping was frankly genius – you need to see it to believe it. The lighting was cleverly done and the view of the inside and the outside together added so much to the stage.
With well-known names cast I was enthused to see how well they would be in roles I “knew” so well – I wasn’t disappointed at all. The lead, James Herriot was played by Oliver Mellow who was just a first class actor in every way. He came across so well spoken and we were overwhelmed by the amount he must have learnt what with his lines and being narrator. He really was brilliantly cast and his wardrobe lent itself perfectly to the era. Mark Curry played the “proper” old fashioned vet, Siegfried, complete with his aversion to book keeping. Hard to imagine him any other way now, he really was perfect for the part in his tweedy costume.
His brother, Tristan, played by ex-steps member Lee came over well. I was a big fan in my youth so my school girl crush has been reignited even more so now that I know he can act. His role was that of the lazy younger brother, with an irritating sense of humour, who would rather do anything than study. He was immediately likeable in his role and was in my opinion a credit to the casting agent.
The star of the show was Mrs Pumphrey – I’m even smiling writing this! Susan Penhaligon is a well-known actress and was just genius in her portrayal of the eccentric Mrs Pumphrey, complete with large plum in her mouth. She was hilarious! The pompous dog obsessed lady got smiles from everyone and I left the theatre practicing my “posh accent” and haven’t stopped yet.
When it comes to Mr Calvert, Rob Maloney, I don’t think any description is more fitting than “Master of accents”. I was absolutely blown away by his talents, it’s still hard to believe he portrayed so many different characters. I had to actually ask the person next to me if it was the same man as before – incredible talent!
Well the story translated brilliantly to theatre. It was incredibly creative and was so hard to imagine how they’d manage to get the story onto one stage, but we never felt overwhelmed by what was going on – we were just hugely impressed with the use of space. The wardrobe department should be very proud, everything was perfect and so apt for the era.
“All Creatures Great and Small” was very funny and light hearted with a good, interesting story, It’s true to the book and is well worth seeing. We had a great night out with plenty of laughs but with reflection on the narrow-mindedness of the era – poor James did have a hard time.
As usual the New Theatre were fabulously accommodating. Staff are always happy to go one step further for you and are courteous and polite. I took a friend who had never been before and he was in awe of the beauty of the place. It really is a venue to be proud of.
All together I rate this 5*, I would highly recommend it and it was evident that the audience felt the same as the chatter leaving the theatre was very positive indeed.
Rating: 5/5 
Tickets cost from £8.50 to £29.50 (plus £1.75 online booking transaction fee).
All Creatures Great and Small is at the New Theatre, Cardiff until 14 June 2014. For more information or to book tickets click here or call the box office on 029 2087 8889.
New Theatre, Park Place, Cardiff, CF10 3LN | 029 2087 8889
