Awful auntie, and she is well and truly awful, disgusting and from where I was sat, looked to be made of pure EVIL, is a family fun fest of laughs, frights and twisted turns. Written by the great David Williams OBE (the not so little half of Little Britain) and produced by the team behind the internationally renowned Gangsta Granny this show promised to be great but turned out to be amazing! Suitable for children as young as 5, but entertaining for older kids as well as mum and dad, this really is a treat for everyone in the house.
The story (as I am sure you already know from the book!!!) places our heroine, Stella aka Lady Saxby, at grave danger from the moment she awakens from her ill-fated trip to the big city. The last thing she remembers is falling asleep in the back of the car whilst her parents idly chat up front. Flash forward a few months and she wakes up in the family home surrounded by fear and danger and lies. Her parents are dead and she is trapped inside with her awful auntie (and an equally awful owl).
Into the mix falls a friendly ghost (No, not THE friendly ghost) by the name of Soot. You’ll never guess, but he was a chimney sweep from 19th century London, with a fully-fledged Cockney accent and more rhymes than Eminem, Soot is the light-hearted element within this story.
Big shout outs to the three stars of the show. Georgina Leonidas stars as the wonderful Stella Saxby; accomplished, believable and very expressive, we have a true star in the making right here. She was well supported by Ashley Cousins as Soot, the two playing off each other like salt and pepper. Last but not least, Timothy Speyer as the awful auntie of your worst dreams. A true hark back to some of the classic characters from Little Britain, Timothy weaved together comedy and, well, just general awfulness to bring the character and life.
On the one hand this story is about murder, betrayal, fear and loyalty but really, it’s a story of love and friendship. It’s a story of what brings two of the most unlikely characters together overcoming a geographical distance, the ravages of time and most remarkably, the very human social class gap. Do your whole family a favour, go and see this!!!!!
Showing at Nottingham Theatre Royal until Sunday 19 November, tickets from £12 available here.
Review by Abdul Khan
