Last night we were entertained to the max, when Ethan, Megan and I had a wonderful night out to Hull New Theatre, where we saw the award-winning stage adaptation of David Walliams’ bestselling book “Gangsta Granny”! It was a fantastic play filled with lots of trumping, crime, mischief and laugh out loud jokes. We had sparkle, dancing, creative scene changes and a whole load of absolutely fantastic acting that kept us engrossed throughout!
It was most definitely worth some bedtime rebellion on a school night!
If you don’t know the hilarious and captivating tale of Gangsta Granny then where have you been?? It is brilliant and filled with some right good British humour! It follows the story of an 11-year-old boy “Ben”, who is doomed to spend Friday nights with his “boring old Gran” whilst his parents pursue their Strictly Come Dancing dreams. He dreads the games of scrabble, the array of cabbage inspired delicacies, but mostly though, it’s the thought of ending his week with a “boring” old lady that smells a bit funky!
But what Ben doesn’t know is that Granny has a secret – and he soon discovers that Friday nights are about to get a whole lot more exciting than he could ever imagine, as he embarks on the adventure of a lifetime with his very own Gangsta Granny.
I loved the British humour throughout and each character was played incredibly well. It was a brilliant, family friendly evening and one of those performances where you really feel a part of it – right in there feeling the heart of the whole thing! It was so good to see such a favourite come alive in that way and share it with Ethan and Megs.
We all loved the props, the set, the dancing, jokes and persistent cabbage trumps! We loved the real life granny scooter – “bezzing” (yes I know that’s not a real word!) around the stage and the humorous antics of “Mr Parker” and Ben’s parents. We loved the cheeky character of his Granny and in between all of those laughs and action packed moments, we also loved how it captured our hearts to see the fun and beauty of a relationship grow between a boy and his Gran, when they finally found a shared passion and adventure!!
I would, without a doubt recommend this to everyone. It is so much fun to be a part of and thanks to the Birmingham Stage Company we can now cross “dance with the Queen” off our bucket lists after such a brilliant finale! But don’t take my word alone… I’m a “boring old(ish)” mummy! Here’s what my kids thought of it too – Ethan is 7 and Megan recently turned 6!
Ethans Review:
“That was so so so funny! I really loved it and thought their acting was just so good – they were all really good and it was so cool how they looked like they were in the car and the water but not a real one! And I loved the stage – yes the stage was so magical because it had all hidden things that turned into stuff and it was marvellous how they did that.
I would give it 1,000 stars – it was really good!!”
Megan’s Review:
“I liked the trumping the best (*of course!) and the dancing cat and Queen were really funny! I didn’t know the Queen could do the floss but that was the real Queen and she can so I will be telling everyone that!
I’d say it was the best night, not becuase we stayed up late, not because I loved it like Ethan and laughed my head off too. I will tell all of my friends they have to see it because the trumps are sooooooooo funny and they have a dancing cat!”
If your kids find trumping Granny’s and trumping Queens funny and, if they like dancing cats and seeing the Queen do the floss, then the exciting tale of Ben’s “Gangsta Granny” with all of its secret plans and plots, is certainly not to be missed. It was a lot of fun and you will certainly not regret a night out to catch a piece of the action down at Hull New Theatre this weekend! Birmingham Stage Company have done a fabulous job of this well loved tale and we thoroughly enjoyed every minute!
Gangsta Granny is showing until Sunday the 8th July and tickets are on sale now from £15.50! Book at the Hull City Hall Box Office by calling 01482 300 306 or visit their website www.hulltheatres.co.uk.
*This was complimentary press visit in exchange for a review.
