THE WIMBLEDONIAN
Gill Lower SansLine BoldPlay 16pt
A World of Pure Imagination him a giant bottle of their Frobscottle. What followed was described by one young audience member as being so funny ‘I fell right off my seat’. I did not share the sentiments of this theatrical pundit, but watched on in quiet amusement as the drink caused a cacophony of ‘wizzpops’ (provided musically by members of the chorus) to echo through the auditorium.
After the resounding success of Dracula Spectacula, excitement for this year’s Lower Line play had been brewing for months. Once word had escaped that the boys were planning to perform Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, theatre powerhouses across Britain were falling over themselves to capture a piece of the zeitgeist, to place an unwanted finger on an already overcrowded pulse. But it was a regular Slugworth who wizzpopped his way to the front of the queue and ushered away the rights to this classic piece of childhood fantasy, leaving the Wimbledon community bereft. But not for long…
Next up in the adventure we had George Fitzgerald giving an assured performance as the Fantastic Mr Fox, proving his credentials indeed as his intrepid digging skills helped to retrieve James’ newly lost beans. As well as playing to the theatrical strengths of these varied young performers, the play also indulged in Gondry-esque visual trickery, relying more on ingenuity and inventiveness than a bloated budget. This was exemplified as the peach began to grow and in the tale that followed, the making of George’s Marvellous Medicine.
The boys, under the wistful direction of Kate O’Brien, Rebecca Thompson and Amy Delport, were left in a copyright quandary. Thus, was created ‘A World of Pure Imagination’: a theatrical coming together of Dahl, O’Brien and 66 lower line boys. It soon became clear that what the boys had achieved was miraculous in both its concept and realisation. Our central character, James (yet to be united with his peach), played with pathos by Matthew Sherington , embarked on a journey through Dahl’s most delightful and horrifying tales, skilfully woven together and linked by the rustic charms traditionally found in a journey of discovery. As the boys emerged from within the audience to the sounds of Pure Imagination, leaving the precious ‘fourth wall’ in their wake, our suitably pseudonymed Billy Bonka, performed with humour and intrigue by Louis Garner, just about managed to contain his demons regarding that ‘blasted copyright man’. He and his Oompa Loompas served as mysterious guides for James, as he sought to escape the hideous clasp of his Aunt Spiker, played by Patrick Gibson, and Aunt Sponge, Jack Gleeson. In true Dahlwellian tradition, the sheer horror of these characters oozed from every line, aided and abetted by sensational costume design. The actors captured the tragic reality, hyperbolised through comic invention, of poor James, forcing upon him all manner of unpleasant tasks. But, as is the way with Dahl, the audience knew that these dreadful creatures would be dealt with in a suitably satisfying manner.
Boxed in: James and an Oompa Loompa This passage of narrative wonder reminded the audience of the intricate nature of such an ensemble piece, with large doses of the chorus appearing from the various windows and crevices that adorned the stage. Each handed George, played by Munda Conteh, the most grotesque of concoctions, as the delightfully evil Grandma, Chris Gell, demanded her medicine. Fulfilling the Dahlwellian prophecy of comeuppance, James’s aunts appeared at a window screeching for a dribble of the frightful broth. As much as the Spiker and Sponge combination package provided merriment, more fun was merriment, more fun was
James began his odyssey armed with Bonka’s life-changing green beans. The various stories lurking in the recesses of an adult’s memory soon came scurrying back, as Sophie (Adam Kadlubowski) and the smooth toned BFG, played by Tom Murphy, demonstrated the kinder side of human nature by sharing with
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