THEATRE REVIEW: Bedknobs And Broomsticks - The Empire Theatre, Liverpool.

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Being an absolute fan of the 1971 Disney film, I gleefully ‘bobbed’ along to the Liverpool Empire to watch the new musical adaptation of ‘Bedknobs and Broomsticks’. The charm of the film was captured well and I happily sat reminiscing about my childhood and the joy of magic, but did feel like it fell short of expectation at some moments.

The musical is based on the books 'The Magic Bedknob' and 'Bonfires And Broomsticks', written by Mary Norton in the 1940s. Three young, orphaned children find themselves evacuated and in the care of Eglantine Price, an apprentice witch. The story has pathos, with the kindred link of both themselves, and Eglantine, losing parents at a young age and her plight to rid the world of the evil that is fast approaching. Many of the Sherman songs from the film have been retained, whilst Neil Bartram’s new musical numbers succinctly complement the production, particularly the song ‘Negotiality’, sung fantastically well by Conor O’Hara as the eldest child Charlie. The new songs definitely had that sense of Disney flair that you would expect, but I do wish there had been more ensemble numbers to utilise the fantastic skills that the actors had to offer. ‘Portobello Road’ was a feast for the eyes, and certainly more large cast numbers may have raised the energy and pace of the production as at certain points this did feel lacking. It is indeed the use of the ensemble that I found to be the most captivating quality. That and the magical high jinx, but I will come on to that later. The ensemble were tremendous in the movement of the set and immersive throughout, as if watching the adventure unfold with us. They were experts in ‘being there’ but not upstaging the main actors. I did wonder how they would bring the animals to life on stage and was not disappointed in the use of puppetry in doing so; elements of Lion King and War Horse sensed in these moments. I was however disappointed that the football scene from the Disney Version did not make it to the stage, neither did Eglantine’s cat, which could have easily have been done as a puppet.

Harrison and Candice Edmunds' vision of translating the film on to the stage is noble and quirky. Harrison’s set design accompanied the production efficiently, the bombed-out buildings of London framing the action, symbolic of the children’s lives being torn apart, only to be reunited at the end once the children felt they had found a home. The use of lighting, designed by Simon Wilkinson, was expertly used in order to enable the illusions of the flying bed and Eglantine’s flying foray in to the sky. There was a lot of back-lighting in order for this to work. At times the set did feel a little dark, some of the exquisite costumes by Gabriela Slade did not have their chance to shine, but it was understandable due to the complexity of the tricks. The magical elements had both adult and child amazed, questioning many times how they managed to achieve some of the tricks, particularly one moment when the bed seemingly flew through an open window. The wizardry from the technical department was certainly a star of the show! 

On to the main stars. Diane Pilkington portrays the role of Eglantine Price superbly, her comic timing and rapport with the child actors was undeniable; her voice was a joy to behold and her expertise on stage exceptional. Charles Brunton is extremely likeable as Emelius Brown, making the role his own, rather than replicating David Tomlinson’s well known portrayal in the Disney film. The roles of the children were expertly cast, albeit that Conor O’Hara certainly looks older than thirteen, but we can suspend our disbelief for that one.

There are plenty of amazing moments in the production. The opening sequence is emotional and fast paced, superbly setting the tone of the war. The ‘Briny Sea’ was exciting to watch, the use of puppetry in this section was particularly effective, with the comedic fish and the tricks were fantastic. However, the fight scene at the end felt anti-climatic, and I did feel that it was lacking in more ensemble, high energy numbers to provide pace. Some form of powerful ballad for Eglantine, to showcase Diane Pilkington’s voice possibly. I just left feeling a little underwhelmed, although truly enjoying the experience as a whole.

Reviewer - Catherine Owen
on - 22.2.22