| Review: Tom's Midnight Garden | |
|  | | Tom (Stefan Butler) and Hatty (Claire Cooper) |
| | The children's classic Tom's Midnight Garden by Philippa Pearce has found a new lease of life with the help of renowned playwright David Wood.
Review: Jemima Laing (with the help of five-year-old Felix).
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| | | Tom's Midnight Garden
Theatre Royal, Plymouth
Tues 20th - Sat 24th April, 7pm
Matinees: Wed & Thu 1.30pm, Fri 2pm
Tickets: £11 - £14 ( Family £34)
Box Office: 01752 267222
Birmingham Stage Company's adaptation of Tom's Midnight Garden is packed with drama and suspense, and sends a genuine tingle up the spine.
It is the classic childhood story of 1950s schoolboy Tom, who is sent to stay with his childless aunt and uncle in an old house while his brother recovers from measles.
At first bored, his stay soon becomes more exciting when he realises that when the grandfather clock in the hall strikes 13, he can travel to the past.
 | | Tom and Hatty in the midnight garden |
There he meets Hatty, a Victorian orphan, and the two lonely children forge a bond across the boundaries of time.
With its biblical references and questions about the nature of time, the play is occasionally elevated into more adult territory.
But while some of the more esoteric references may have been lost on him, Felix was still gripped by the basic story as Tom describes his eerie adventures in a series of vivid letters to his brother.
That time is the main tenet of the story is demonstrated by the near-constant presence of the rest of the cast who appear as a kind of a syncopated mini-Greek chorus, like the figures which emerge on the hour from town hall clocks.
They did an equally fine job of manipulating the clever set and, with their partially masked faces, freaking Felix out.
And while the first appearance of Stefan Butler as Tom was greeted with laughter (grown men inevitably cut an amusing figure dressed as schoolboys), he soon had us believing he was indeed a 10-year-old boy who could travel effortlessly through time in an energetic and earnest performance.
 | | Felix watched it right to the end - even though the play was quite scary at times |
His enchanting portrayal was matched by that of Claire Cooper, playing Hatty from childhood to womanhood with conviction.
David Wood's effective adaptation is both spine-tingling and dark and has plenty of dramatic moments.
A terrifyingly realistic thunder storm and the appearance of an apocalyptic angel made us both jump clear of our seats.
The set, which is barely more than a central rotating truck, is augmented by clever lighting, minimal props and mime.
The position of the centrepiece on the stage matches the action and serves as an effective device to demonstrate which century Tom is in.
Graeme Messer's production succeeds in being highly creepy and hugely satisfying while leaving a lump in the throat - see it while there is still time!
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