Spike Milligan's Badjelly keeps new generations entertained

Badjelly The Witch by Spike Milligan
Adapted by  Alannah O’Sullivan
Directed by Simon Coleman
Auckland Theatre Company
Bruce Mason Theatre
Until July 16

Then

The Theatre Royal, Nelson, July 20 - 21

It is forty years since Spike Milligan created Badjelly The Witch and several generations of children have been entertained by the tale while several generations of parents and grandparents have had to read the story complete with silly voices.

For some reason the story has been more popular in New Zealand than the rest of the world. Recording of the tale have sold over 40,000 here so it’s not surprising there have been at least two local  theatrical adaptations of the book.

Alannah O’Sullivan's version currently being performed at The Bruce Mason Theatre is a lively adaptation of the taqle which follows Tim and Rose who are in search for their cow Lucy who has been stolen by Badjelly and her giant servant Dulboot. On the way they meet many characters including Binklebonk, the tree goblin, Silly Sausage, a barking grasshopper, Mudwiggle the super strong worm and the very polite Dinglemouse who was once a banana.

The cast bring to life all the characters and ably handling Milligan’s humour which is  a clever mix of rude jokes, slap stick comedy and subtle wit, making for an entertaining show.

Johnson Raela as Tim and Nicole Thomson as Rose give solid performances which never descended into silliness while the other minor characters all manage the appropriate level of silliness.

Some of the cast portray multiple characters with Bryan Coll creating some memorable roles. His Jim the Eagle is a Liberace look-a-like with an inflated personality while his Mudwiggle was cleverly presented..

As Badjelly Lisa Chappell was just scary enough, Troy Tu’ua was an almost ferocious giant and Eve Gordon a delightful Dinglemouse

The extravagant costumes designed by Sarah Burren complemented Simon Coleman’s sets which range from the dramatic to the surreal.

There were several opportunities for the children to interact with the on stage characters but there was also a low level constant chatter as children provided the lines and commentary on the story .

At just under an hour long it is the ideal play for children and it will appeal to adults revisiting their own childhood memories.