BIRMINGHAM Stage Company have brought ‘Gangsta Granny’ written by David Walliams to Darlington Hippodrome. The small cast work incredibly hard, with a number of them playing two parts. Walliams’ storytelling style brings about the everyday situations, where he turns them into the most unlikely and often hilarious situations.
The story follows Ben, Justin Davies, who spends every Friday night with his cabbage loving Granny, Isobel Ford. He finds the constant eating of various forms of cabbage and spending the night a bit boring, until he discovers she is really an international jewel thief. Suddenly he finds it much more interesting and they embark on an exciting adventure together, leading to a surprising encounter.
Ben’s dreadful Mum and Dad, Jason Furnival and Jess Nesling, produce some highly entertaining moments during their ballroom dancing scenes. Flavio, Irfan Damani, steals the show as the professional dancer at the competition.
The set by Jacqueline Trousdale, is outstanding and has been ingeniously created, making the best possible use of the space, with lots of hidden sections to change the set instantly. The choreography from Paul Chantry and Rae Piper are delightful, especially as they dance through the scene changes.
Gangsta Granny is plenty of fun for all the family, adults and children will find plenty of laughs and will leave with a huge smile on their face. The audience on Thursday evening certainly got into the spirit of it and enjoyed joining in with the dancing at the end.
Runs until Sunday 3rd July.
