Dirty Revolting Stew

What a wonderful way to spend a couple of hours on a bleak Blackburn Sunday afternoon! Congratulations to every member of the team that introduced us to Roald Dahl's "Dirty Revolting Stew"  at Blackburn Arts Club. In short, it was vastly entertaining.

Based on "Revolting Rhymes" it is, as its name suggests, a tasty daube of well-known tales told from Mr. Dahl's intriguing and beguiling viewpoint. 

 We are introduced to characters such as the three little pigs, the story of the King's new clothes, Little Red Riding Hood and many other much-loved tales. All these are brought to life via a talented ensemble of actors playing the roles while the narration is undertaken by two storytellers from the comfort of their cosy armchairs. I can think of no two actors who could have played the narrators with more skill than the husband and wife partnership of Geoff and Ann Baron.  Their delivery was first class. The success of such a type of play depends on the mainly silent actions of the actors, working hard to bring to life the characters that are being described. So, attitude, mannerisms and conviction backed up by appropriate costumes and props are all used to convince us they are truly those persons we are hearing about.  This was a fine example of ensemble playing at its best. The enjoyment of the performers was tangible. It wouldn't be appropriate to go into detail about each actors performance nor to dwell too much on other usually important matters that reviewers like to comment on. If you had seen, or know the play, you will know why. Suffice it to say every member of the cast, each playing several characters, was top notch. This is a short review as a result but a heartfelt one, hopefully conveying my admiration of Tony Lewis, Sarah Nolan, Rana Shihadah, Layla Shihadah, Julie Cockerill, Jonathan Mallinson, Eve Lomax, Chloe St. Pierre (great uke playing, Chloe) and Alby Tomlinson plus of course director Lisa-marie Hunt.  The costumes, or lack of them in the case of Jonathan Mallinson's freshly attired King, were excellent.

Had I not been going out on Sunday evening I would have liked to have come back to enjoy the show all over again. We are all children at heart but this show appeals to audiences of all ages thanks to Roald Dahl's genius.

Keep up the good work, Blackburn Arts Club and thank you.

© NODA CIO. All rights reserved.