Box of Delights: John Masefield - adapted by Piers Torday, Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford Upon Avon, Runs: ‘till 07 January 2024. 4****: Roderick Dungate.
Box of Delights: John Masefield - adapted by Piers Torday
RSC
Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford Upon Avon
Runs: ‘till 07 January 2024.
4****: Roderick Dungate.
Audio Described and Relaxed Performance, 2nd December 2023.
“As tasty as buttered eggs!”
Masefield’s story is an early derring-do type story; written is 1935, it is a delightful early example. Piers Torday’s adaptation is true to the original and Justin Audibert’s production is clear, fast moving, and asks for (and rightly gets) an attentive audience. A beautiful theatrical experience for all. Much to be commended is the team’s refusal to compromise the spirit of the original; an original that, in its own way, is naughtily and subversive.
Kay, a recently orphaned boy is off to spend Christmas with his aunt and two cousins, Maria and Peter. On the train he meets some strange characters. He, with his cousins, are thrust into a wild adventure and must fight to save Christmas itself.
All characters are broadly drawn but are never caricatures; great fun is had with them, though the humour is never at their expense. Callum Balmforth creates an energetic and truly engaging Kay; he drives everything along to our joy. This fine performance would be improved if Balmforth could relax a bit more at playing ‘boy’ and make it entirely his own. His sister, Marie (Mae Munuo) is a superb swashbuckling, gun-toting young feminist, brilliantly in touch with today’s zeitgeist. Her ’bit of a plank’ brother, Peter, created by Jack Humphrey completes our thrilling threesome. Humphrey will be pleased to note that when he expresses great surprise with a relished ‘Crikey’ the child sitting behind me repeated it with equal enthusiasm. I think we should bring this excellent word back into popular use.
This is a great performing team, no weak spots, and a strong sense of ensemble.
Staging is elegant; stage ‘magic’ is kept to a minimum; the effects are obviously done so the audience must work its imagination. The magic is in the staging. Puppetry designs by Samuel Wyer are engaging and effective.
I have said I admire Masefield for his original. However, the adaptation does not totally acknowledge that novel telling and theatre telling are different forms. Lovely things are raised early on, for instance Maria’s gun expertise or the three youngsters being transformed into animals to see the world anew. These may work as they are in a novel, but in live drama they are underdeveloped, they seem to hang as loose threads.
They really need re-incorporating to be given satisfying full value. And what happened to the gorgeous dog, Ben? With adapting flexibility, the fruition wholeness could have been achieved without breaking faith with Masefield’s work. A small flaw, but not a fatal one. This is great theatre which importantly respects its young audience members.
And now I am off to check out buttered eggs. And you’ll have to see the play to get that one.
Cast
Kay Harker – Callum Balmforth
Maria – Mae Munuo
Peter – Jack Humphrey
Paper Girl/Duchess/Ellan – Rose Wyatt
Cole Hawlings – Stephen Boxer
Barney, his dog –Rhiannon Skerritt
Abner Brown – Richard Lynch
The Head – Molly Roberts
Herne the Hunter – Janet Etuk
Grandad – Stephen Hunter
Caroline Louisa – Annette McLaughlin
Biship – Timothy Speyer
Mayor - Melody Brown
Charles – Tom Kanji
Syliva Pouncer – Nia Gwynne/Claire Price
Joe Nana Amoo-Gottfried
Rat – Tom Chapman
Audio Describers: Gethyn Edwards & Carolyn Smith
Creatives
Director – Justin Audibert
Designer – Tom Piper
Lighting – Prama Mehta
Composer – Ed Lewis
Puppetry Designer – Samuel Wyer
Music Director – Ben McQuigg