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We bobbed along to Bedknobs and Broomsticks in the WMC
Last night we went bobbing along on the beautiful briny sea all the way into Cardiff Bay to see Bedknobs and Broomsticks at the Wales Millennium Centre. We were amazed and entranced at the absolute spectacle of the 1971 film brought to life before our eyes on stage. The songs were just as magnificent as ever and the show pulled out all the stops, making us believe in the magic of Miss Eglantine Price all over again.
From the same mind that wrote the children’s classic The Borrowers, Mary Norton’s children’s books all about witches, magic beds, and the mystical island of Nopeepo makes the perfect setting for a whimsical musical of adventure and joy. Combined with music written by The Sherman Brothers, who were fresh off the back of writing international sensation Mary Poppins, Bedknobs and Broomsticks was always destined to be a big hit. Now 50 years after its initial release, it’s been adapted for stage for the stage and it’s bringing all the wonder with it.
The whole cast did an incredible job and brought the energy needed to pull off the impressive dance sequences that incorporate incalculable props, stunts, and tricks. The three Rawlins children were particularly brilliant, keeping the whole show moving at a pace and always delivering the joy and merriment you’d expect from a musical like this, despite having to handle some pretty heavy themes. The story can be bleak at times, set during the Blitz era of the Second World War, but the trio easily managed to keep up the wonder and fun. And of course, West End veteran Dianne Pilkington shone in the leading role of Miss Eglantine Price. It must be no mean feat to sing solos whilst flying around the stage on a broomstick whilst maintaining the elegance and grace of the character, but she absolutely managed it with ease. All will creating some genuine chemistry with Charles Brunton’s Professor Browne.
So, the cast broke a leg, and the music was wonderous, but nothing could quite beat the sheer joy of the technical marvel of the effects on stage. How on earth they managed to keep making that bed fly through the streets of London and through the skies I will never know! And the multitude of magic tricks and spells being pulled off made me believe in witches all over again. I cannot stress enough how impressive the effects were, and I’m sure the audience can agree. I’ve never been in an audience so full of awe inspired children who were so enraptured with the stage they could not tear their eyes away. The award-winning theatre makers Candice Edmunds and Jamie Harrison really have proven why they are some of the best in the biz.
Come for the childhood memories for the Angela Lansbury film, but stay for the beyond professional cast and jaw-dropping effects and let Bedknobs and Broomsticks transport you to a world of magic all over again. We give this one four Bedknobs out of five Broomsticks and would recommend it to anyone who can sail down to the Wales Millennium centre for the show this week.
