Skip to main content

Review of Running Wild by Michael Morpurgo at Royal & Derngate (Derngate), Northampton

There is a well-regarded theory that if you treat children like adults when it comes to storytelling, you gain not only their respect but also their attention to a greater degree. That means that Running Wild, adapted by Samuel Adamson from Michael Morpurgo's 2009 novel should get the utmost attention. This is a truly uncompromising, and an occassionally harrowing tale of disaster and environmental destruction, one which cuts no corners in telling how cruel life can be at times.

Lily (India Brown) with Oona
Running Wild tells the story of Lily (Robert in the original book), who has recently lost her father to the Iraq war, and her adventures in Indonesia following her grandmother's decision to send her there with her mother as a treat to help her with her grief. There she meets beach elephant Oona, a very special animal that changes her life forever.

Set to the backdrop of the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami, Running Wild is a true visual masterpiece, opening with a picture frame set of detritus from disaster, all broken tables, sun loungers and destroyed pieces of everyday life, this is a piece that captivates the eye throughout thanks to Paul Wills' set design. The lighting from James Whiteside also creates a wonderful mix of colours to bring this forest world to life.

Inhabiting that world are the stars of the show, a collection of brilliantly realised animals; from Oona our star to orangutans and tiger, the puppetry work from Finn Caldwell and Toby Olie and their team of performers is exemplary. They are the true characters of the show and at that devastating closing moment of the first half you can't help but feels pangs of emotion for these magnificent beasts that feel truly alive.

The humans take the backseat in this production to the wonder of the puppets and are often lacking depth, more relying on caricature. Lily (played on the evening by India Brown) is for the first half a brattish, irritating child, true she is going through a tough life, but she is demanding and cruel to her true friend Oona. She softens a little in the second half as realisation dawns however and you learn to love her more. It is, however, a tremendously confident and brilliant performance from the young star.
The cast and puppeteers of Running Wild

From the grown-ups, Liz Crowther as Grandma comes out of the play with the deepest character, with her emotional portrayal through the pursuit of her family. There is a strong and evil portrayal of Mr Anthony from Jack Sandle, although at times this character is so obviously dastardly that you feel he has fallen from a cartoon. He is though at times believable in his threat of menace again child and animal alike.

On opening night at Royal & Derngate there were technical issues which saw a half hour delay to the show, and although these were unspecified, there felt a definite issue with the sound balance during the show, with some of the dialogue lost in the mix of sound.

Directors Timothy Sheader and Dale Rooks keep the spectacle flowing with visual momentum even if on occasion the story stumbles a little in pace during the first half, however with the added danger after the interval, it gathers a great pace up to its emotional, but a perhaps inevitable conclusion.

Running Wild is an excellent piece of theatre offering a depth of story to keep adults and children entertained throughout. It can at times be a disturbing tale and may be a little scary for some younger children, however, it has its morals clear for all and it does have a very relevant story to tell, one that truly needs a hearing.

★★★★

Performance reviewed: Tuesday 23rd May, 2017 at the Royal & Derngate (Derngate), Northampton.

Running Wild runs at the Royal & Derngate until Saturday 27th May 2017. Details at: http://www.runningwildlive.co.uk/
For further details about the Royal & Derngate visit http://www.royalandderngate.co.uk/

Photos: Dan Tsantilis



Popular posts from this blog

Review of & Juliet at Milton Keynes Theatre

First performed in 2019, & Juliet has become quite a global success, and now, as part of a UK Tour, it has arrived at Milton Keynes Theatre for a two-week run. Featuring a book by David West Read, it tells the what-if story of the survival of Juliet at the end of Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet . Primarily a jukebox musical, it more specifically features the works of Swedish songwriter Max Martin (and friends, as the credits describe). The question is, does & Juliet provide more than the standard of many a jukebox musical before it, and does it honour the tragic tale from which it has sprung? Our story opens with William Shakespeare presenting his latest work, Romeo & Juliet , for the first time. However, when his wife, Anne Hathaway, learns how he intends the tale to end, she is away with his quill and planning on her reworking of the story. At the core of this touring production's success is Geraldine Sacdalan's powerhouse performance as Juliet. Her Juliet ...

Review of Northern Ballet - The Great Gatsby at Milton Keynes Theatre

This production of The Great Gatsby performed by Northern Ballet was my fifth encounter at the theatre of a full ballet production and as before, I happily share my review of the show with nearly zero knowledge of-the-art form and more of a casual theatre-goer. You could say that this is a poor direction to come in on a review, but I would say that casual audience are the ones to review this for. Over the years, Northern Ballet has set quite a high benchmark for ballet productions, and any audience member who is worth their salt as a ballet fan would no doubt have tickets for this new touring version of the 2013 version of The Great Gatsby , lovingly created by David Nixon OBE. So much is Nixon part of the very fabric of this show, that he not only provides the choreography and direction but also the initial scenario and costume design (assisted by Julie Anderson). So, discounting those ballet fans already sitting in the audience, what does this offer for the more casual theatre-goer ...

Review of The Rocky Horror Show at Milton Keynes Theatre

Richard O’Brien’s anarchic, surreal, and often incomprehensible musical, The Rocky Horror Show , has captivated audiences for over fifty years now. With this new tour, it feels as fresh and unpredictable as if it had just emerged from O’Brien's vivid imagination yesterday. While another review might seem unnecessary given the countless dressed-up fans who fill every theatre it visits, let’s go ahead and write one anyway. The Rocky Horror Show follows the adventures of Brad and Janet, a newly engaged couple. On a dark and stormy November evening, they run into car trouble and seek refuge at a mysterious castle reminiscent of Frankenstein’s. There, they encounter the eccentric handyman Riff-Raff, the outrageous scientist Dr. Frank N. Furter, and a host of other bizarre characters. What unfolds is a science fiction B-movie narrative that is at times coherent and at other times bewildering — yet somehow, that doesn’t seem to matter. I first saw The Rocky Horror Show in 2019 and exper...