Champion Night

Jul 15 2007 by Lesley Oldfield, Sunday Sun

Danny the Champion of the World, Theatre Royal, Newcastle

ROALD DAHL is, of course, a genius, and David Wood’s inventive adaptation of one of his popular children’s novels takes just a few skips and twists of the plot to bring out the best of it.

Cheers, whoops, whispers and laughter rang out as kids and adults alike took Danny, his poacher dad, and their band of kooky friends to their hearts.

Teesside-born Iain Ridley pulls off his role as a young Danny with the help of Dafydd Emyr’s huge stature and presence as his beloved dad. And a beaten-up caravan never looked cosier than this pair’s home.

As they battle a mean millionaire and his Sloaney cronies, the action moves from pathos to panto and back again, accompanied by stirring, folksy live music.

On Press night, Birmingham Stage Company got the audience so involved that I feared at one point the show was about to bring the house down . . . literally.