Tracy Beaker Gets REAL! Nottingham till 9 Sept then touring.
Nottingham/Tour.
TRACY BEAKER GETS REAL!
by Mary Morris. Music by Grant Olding, lyrics by Mary Morris.
Based on The Story of Tracy Beaker by Jacqueline Wilson.
Nottingham Playhouse to Saturday 9th September 2006, followed by UK tour.
7.30 pm. Matinees: Thursday 31st August 14.30, Sat 2nd September 14.30, Thursday 7th September 13.30, Saturday 9th September 14.30.
Audio described performances Tuesday 5th and Wednesday 6th September.
Signed interpreted Friday 8th September.
Runs 2hr 5min. One interval.
TICKETS: 0115 9419419.
www.nottinghamplayhouse.co.uk
Review: Jen Mitchell 29th August 2006.
Energy, exhuberance, theatricality.
Probably the UK’s most well known teenage girl, Tracy Beaker hits the stage at the playhouse with all the energy and exuberance we have come to expect of her.
Having been given the chance of bringing Tracy Beaker to the stage and already having worked on the TV series, Mary Morris has added songs and music and a generous helping of theatricality to provide two hours of hugely entertaining theatre for both young people and adults. The fact that Jacqueline Wilson was in the audience was an added bonus and caused great excitement among the younger theatre goers.
It’s no mean feat bringing a character as well known and well loved as Tracy Beaker to the stage, when she is already so familiar. Two books and five series of the incredibly popular TV programmes mean she is instantly recognisable and the majority of any audience will already know Tracy and her exploits intimately.
Although I initially had some reservations about the use of song, this piece doesn’t become ‘Tracy Beaker the Musical’. The music and songs are used as a device for the kids in the dumping ground – the name they give to the children’s home – to reveal and deal with difficult and painful emotions, or for Tracy to explore her own fantasy world which she inhabits with her ‘Hollywood Mum’.
In an all adult cast, the actors playing the dumping ground kids all hit just the right note. Sarah Churn as Tracy is everything the tough little cookie should be – a perfect combination of an incredibly naughty, frequently manipulative, tantruming child who occasionally reveals the vulnerability and despair she often feels.
The inexperienced Suzie McGrath in her professional stage debut is excellent as the swaggering, cocky Justine who stands by the window for hours on end watching and waiting for her Dad to turn up to take her out. Tracy’s loyal and put upon friends, Ryan O’Donnell as Peter and Jessica Martin as Louise, are equally believable as the hurt and defenceless children they are. The painful moments, and there are many, are dealt with head on, often with humour – at no time does this production resort to sentimentality.
Paul Wills’ set combines the harsh realities of the care home with cartoon-esque elements reminiscent of Nick Sharratt’s original illustrations from both the book and the television adaptation.
Tracy Beaker: Sarah Churm.
Justine Littlewood: Suzie McGrath.
Mum/Louise: Jessica Martin.
Peter: Ryan O’Donnell.
Elaine The Pain: Gemma Page.
Cam: Alice Redmond.
Sheriff/Justine’s Dad: Kirris Riviere.
Director: David Newman.
Composer and Orchestration: Grant Olding.
Designer: Paul Wills.
Lighting: Guy Hoare.
Sound: Adam McCready.
Musical Director/Keyboards: Dean Austin.
Choreographer: Sam Spencer-Lane.
Voice coach: Sally Hague.
Fight director: Kate Walters.
2006-09-01 10:02:03