Review: Demon Dentist , New Wimbledon Theatre

Review: Demon Dentist , New Wimbledon Theatre

We’re again on the New Wimbledon Theatre, which performs host to many large touring productions, for the present primarily based on David Walliams’ smash hit e book, Demon Dentist. I’ve my trusty reviewing sidekicks with me once more. At 12 and 13 I’m taking an enormous danger with this one as they might be a bit lengthy within the tooth (sorry), though they did love this e book again in major faculty.

Meet Alfie (Sam Varley), a boy who’s traumatised by a previous dental go to and who lives in a city the place unusual happenings are afoot: kids are inserting their valuable, not too long ago extracted enamel beneath their pillows however are waking to search out no shiny pound coin treasure, Instead, there may be essentially the most ghoulish and nauseating menagerie of things together with twitching eyeballs, still-flapping bat wings and grisly, jammy nail clippings (all wonderful particular results by the best way). Why is that this taking place? Alfie and his bestie Gabz (Georgia Grant-Anderson) are decided to unravel the thriller, and when a brand new creepy and horrifying dentist introduces herself on the faculty meeting, it’s not lengthy earlier than the riddle begins to unravel.

There are some joyful, energetic and comedian performances on this manufacturing, notably Zain Abrahams as newsagent Raj (who my daughter described as residing within the Walliams multiverse), James Mitchell as Alfie’s dad and Misha Malcolm as Winnie; all private favourites of our group. There are some spectacular vocals too – it’s not a full on musical however there’s a satisfying sprinkle of fulfilling songs that basically raise the present. The costumes and units are incredible with some good, intricate, a number of use of the flats and customarily a really ingenious use of the area. There have been some points with the dry ice in direction of the top of act two throughout which we have been nearly a minute right into a scene and we nonetheless couldn’t see any of the stage! I suppose this provides to the spooky theme, but it surely was a disgrace the actors have been hidden for some time.

The younger kids within the viewers gave an uproarious response all through the present and the target market would definitely be ages 5-9. There are loads of stomach laughs, however I did see just a few kids who have been fairly scared and a toddler a few seats down from us left within the second half after makes an attempt to reassure her. My visitor reviewers are, as anticipated, too previous for this present as the extent of humour they admire is way more subtle; however to be truthful it wasn’t geared toward them. They did have robust views on the difference although and felt it didn’t fairly have the identical quantity of appeal and charisma because the e book. They additionally felt the scenes may have been arrange with extra element and are at instances rushed and anti-climactic.

The attraction of Walliams’ characters nonetheless shines by means of, however the script is at instances missing one thing particular. I’ve seen a lot kids’s theatre through the years and this doesn’t need to be the case simply due to the supposed age of the viewers. Some of the repetitive jokes did really feel like we have been pulling enamel (sorry once more), however one can’t deny that there was enjoyable available and the present introduced loads of pleasure to a whole lot of kids in Wimbledon tonight.

Based on the e book by: David Walliams
Adaptated and directed by: Neal Foster
Design by: Jackie Trousdale
Lighting by: Jason Taylor
Music by: Jak Poore
Sound by: Nick Sagar
Choreography by: Paul Chantry and Rae Piper
Produced by: Birmingham Stage Company

David Walliams’ Demon Dentist performed at New Wimbledon Theatre till 22 October. The present excursions all through 2022 and far of 2023. Further data and dates might be discovered right here.