Hetty Feather, theatre review: At last — a family show that has it all
I often think children — and their long-suffering parents — get a raw deal of it, with the overpriced theatrical tat that is too regularly served up in the name of family entertainment in the summertime and at Christmas. Delightfully, Hetty Feather, a rich, warm and inventive show that is one of the most charming dramas I’ve seen all year, is the polar opposite of this dispiriting trend. Take the kids by all means but if you haven’t got a small person handy go anyway. This is work too good for fans of quality theatre to miss.
It’s based, of course, on Jacqueline Wilson’s über-bestselling 2009 book of the same name and has been skilfully transposed from page to stage by adaptor Emma Reeves. Right from the off, our idiosyncratic and indomitable young heroine has a narrative voice that’s clear and compelling as she begins to recount her gently picaresque adventures in Victorian England. She starts, “no bigger than a twist of sugar” — and indeed ends — at the fearsome Foundling Hospital, a place of rigour and privation, but through it all Hetty’s ebullient imagination and desire to find her mother blaze strong.
And what a production name-to-watch director Sally Cookson couches this all in. On a stylish set of ropes, drapes and hoops, ingenious aerial work is undertaken by the appealing six-strong ensemble, dressed in the stripy onesies of old-fashioned seaside entertainers.
This echoes Hetty’s wide-eyed discovery of a travelling circus, a place of colour far removed from her daily grind of drudgery.
Hetty is exquisitely played by livewire Phoebe Thomas, pictured, as a loyal, mischievous and appealing creature and there’s inventive accompaniment from a pair of musicians who start with a quirky ode to Wilson herself. Unbeatably fine.
Until Sept 6 (0844 871 7623)
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