A thrilling, exciting and fang-tastic performance of David Walliams' 'Demon Dentist' awaits you at Bloomsbury Theatre.
From the beginning to the high-intensity end, this show is packed with adventure, intrigue, mischief and some dark humour which will keep your little ones well and truly gripped.
Alfie (Sam Varley) has a stack of letters reminding him that his visit to the dentist is overdue - six years overdue in fact. A previous traumatic experience has left him convinced that he never needs to go back and so he hides the letters from his sick dad (James Mitchell). But Alfie's social worker Winnie (Misha Malcolm) insists that he must go.
There's a new dentist in town so perhaps it might not be so bad now. But then some strange things start happening at the same time as Miss Root's (Emily Harrigan) arrival. Instead of money from the tooth fairy under their pillows, children are waking up to find gory things like dead insects and reptiles. Could the two be linked?
Alfie teams up with classmate Gabz (Georgia Grant-Anderson) to get to the bottom of who is behind all the strange goings-on and so the mysterious adventure begins.
The performance is like a rollercoaster ride as past and present weave together beautifully with some very funny slapstick comedy...especially from PC Plank (Ben Eagle) who fails to even grasp the seriousness of what has been happening.
And of course, no David Walliams tale will be complete without newsagent Raj (Zain Abrahams) who will have you in stitches as he tries his hardest to tempt Alfie to buy his not-so-enticing confectionery. Pair him with Winnie's quirkiness and it's no wonder the two end up tying the knot.
Miss Root prefers children call her 'mummy' which makes her a convincing baddie in this show - on the one hand acting like a good dentist and on the other showing her wicked side, playing up the role perfectly by creating just enough balance between the two so as not to scare the young audience. And true to the stereotypical villain, she also has a pet cat, Fang, who hisses and growls to make sure everyone knows her owner means business.
The set is fabulous as it twists and turns into different settings seamlessly throughout the show as it builds for the dramatic climax.
This stage adaptation is thanks to the brilliance of the Birmingham Stage Company. It's not the first time they've brought Walliams' work to life having previously also created stage productions of 'Gangsta Granny' and 'Billionaire Boy' - both of which were nominated for an Olivier Award.
'Demon Dentist' is on until January 8 and definitely worth watching...it's one for the whole family.
Review: Sunita Jaswal