Room On The Broom
Each year, either during the Christmas season or over the summer months, the West End opens its doors to the younger audiences, proving that the London theatre scene has something for everyone. Previous years have seen shows such as “The Gruffalo”, “We’re Going on a Bear Hunt” and pantomimes like “A Christmas Carol” keeping the kids happy and this year will be no different as the Garrick Theatre welcomes “Room on the Broom” to its stage. With some well known names working behind the scenes and source material from the same writers as “The Gruffalo”, this is certain to join the long list of top kids’ shows that the West End has staged over the years.
Room on the Broom was originally a novel by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler (the team behind “The Gruffalo” and its sequel “The Gruffalo’s Child”) and concerns a witch and her cat who, through a series of misadventures, are eventually joined by a dog, a bird and a frog on their broom. The problem beings when the witch’s belongings – her hat, wand and bow – are all blown away into the cold night by a powerful gust of wind. The witch knows that this will not do and sets about retrieving them, employing the help of various colourful characters along the way. But the room on the broom is the least of their worries – there’s also a dragon about and it is unlikely to take pity on their situation.
Julia Donaldson is a children’s writer who has penned a long list of books for much of the last two decades. “The Gruffalo” was her third book and appeared in 1999, with a sequel appearing five years later in 2004 and “Room on the Broom” arriving on shelves in the intervening years . Her other credits include “A Squash and a Squeeze” in 1993, “Monkey Puzzle” in 2000 and “Taby McTat” in 2009.
Her regular illustrator Axel Scheffler shares many of these credits, including the two “Gruffalo” stories and “Room on the Broom”. His work has seen him illustrate for authors on the continent in a career that spans more than twenty years.
So it is safe to say that Room on the Broom is a welcome addition to the West End, with the work of Donaldson and Scheffler coming to life onstage. So make sure you are there when it begins its daytime performances at the Garrick Theatre from Wednesday 28th July 2010 to Sunday 29th August 2010.
