Spellbinding Theatre for A Level Drama Students
A level Drama students were lucky enough to visit the National Theatre last week to see The Witches. An absolutely spellbinding performance, it was the perfect antidote to blow away the January blues. You can hear more about it in our report from Year 12’s Phoebe.
Phoebe, Year 12
“On the 22 of January, A level drama students had the absolute pleasure of watching the National Theatre’s The Witches. Directed by Lyndsey Turner, this musical concoction had everything: magical disappearing acts, unbelievable technical effects, and a powerhouse, predominantly female, cast.
When imaginative schoolboy Luke moves in with his grandma, her talk of square-footed, bald-headed, children-squelching witches seems crazy. But when the pair visit the seaside ‘Hotel Magnificent’ they are plunged into the heart of the witches’ evil plan: to turn all of Britain’s children into mice.
With witty and heart-warming characters, such as the seemingly charming but fatefully greedy Bruno Jenkins, whose extravagant tap number about a sugar-high, surrounded by bedazzling dancing and singing confectionery, made us roar with laughter; this production had it all. However, beneath this sugar-coated veneer lay pure evil. Played by Katherine Kingsley, the Grand High Witch had so many different dimensions. A selfie-taking celebrity one moment, a hellish witch another, and even a seemingly lovely lady dressed head to toe from the Boden catalogue, Kinglsey brought everything to the table. Her incredible solo Wouldn’t it be nice?, was essentially an anti-child declaration that caused the audience to roar with laughter – and question their priorities!
This trip gave us so much to think about, particularly the importance of compelling set design. With visions of Kath Kidson inspired colour palettes and wonderfully inventive costumes, we all gained so much from this amazing opportunity and can’t wait to apply what was learnt into our own work.
