Hamilton Playbox Theatre brings Fantastic Mr Fox to the stage

Farmers Bean, Bunce and Boggis try to flush out the fox family in Playbox Theatre's production of Fantastic Mr Fox. Photo / Kerry Blakeney-Williams

Reviews

What: Fantastic Mr Fox. Presented by: Hamilton Playbox Theatre

Where: Riverlea Theatre

When: 1-15 July

Tickets: https://www.iticket.co.nz/events/2023/jul/fantastic-mr-fox

Reviewed by CATE PRESTIDGE

The latest school holiday show from Hamilton Playbox opened at the weekend to a full house. With a big all-ages cast, it’s a busy show with lots of activity on stage and fun opportunities for the audience to get involved.

Lorna Ashton, supported by Jayden Watkins, directs the play, which was adapted from Roald Dahl’s book by UK playwright David Wood.

It uses a narrator, Mr Badger (Lachlan Braithwaite), to guide the audience along, introducing the groups of characters and linking the plot.

At the start, we meet the “digger” families of Fox (Daniel Bruce, Paige McOnie, Declan Reilly, Rhys Mathews, Sophie Phillips, Amelia Mathews), Mole (Arthur Van Resseghem, Charlotte Menhennet, Emily Langley), Badger (Braithwaite, Jasmine Terry, Hayley Sherwin), Rabbit (Armani Teng, Elliot Davies-Colley, Alice Field, Olivia Dunkin) and Weasel (Nina Brassington, Stanley Hack, Grace Kane, Sianna Minhas).

Mrs Fox (Paige McOnie) settles her family as Mr Fox (Daniel Bruce) rests after a run-in with the angry farmers. Photo / Kerry Blakeney-Williams

We also meet the villagers (Nicole Sherwin, Rose Garratt, Emily Cucksey, Hannah Balme, Sarah Briston, Samara Cables, Mikyla Marshall) Rat (Dylan Redfern) and the gluttonous farmers Bunce (Adam White), Boggis (Russell Candy) and Bean (Richard Goodson).

The play’s main plot concerns the farmers’ growing frustration at clever Mr Fox stealing their food, so they make a dastardly plan to stop him. This leads to an escalating series of events, plenty of slapstick, a spot of danger, and a cunning solution.

I like the way the cast sits at the front and side of the stage when they’re not actively involved. This helps keep smaller cast members focused and they provide good cues for audience interactions.

The full cast dance in Fantastic Mr Fox, choreographed by Ann Mahon. Photo / Kerry Blakeney-Williams

I think the cast could amp this up even more but once the audience got the hang of it, they were more than happy to boo dreadful Farmers Boggis, Bunce and Bean (they’re terribly mean) and cheer Mr Fox and his cubs to “dig-a-dig-a-dig, dig-a-dig-a-dig”.

Russell Candy (Boggis), Adam White (Bunce) and Richard Goodson (Bean) are having a ball, hamming it up as the sneering meanies set to deny clever Fox his daily victuals, whatever it takes. Booooo! Our narrator Mr Badger (Lachlan Braithwaite) is calm and clear, guiding us through the action. Daniel Bruce is a good lead as Mr Fox, coming up with clever ideas and helping his family and friends.

A small vignette of dance during a dream sequence is sweet, with five dancers performing a balletic routine (marred slightly by a fairly noisy special effects cannon to the side).

Lots of cameos make it fun for the cast, and friends and families will love to see them on stage enjoying themselves and developing as performers, which is what it’s all about really.

There are some good devices with the props, and the set design by Lorna Ashton shows the different levels and underground burrows. There was a slightly tricky sightline to the lower burrow of the foxes so try for a seat closer to the stage if you have little ones, so they’ll feel closer to it all.

The costumes, managed by Maria Eaton, are a mix of nostalgic rural garb with the addition of tails, whiskers and clever makeup denoting the different animals.

At just over an hour, plus a 20-minute interval, the timing of the show is good for the school holiday audiences.

As we left the theatre a little boy was skipping in front of us singing.

“How did he like it?” I asked his dad.

“He loved it. He’ll be chanting ‘dig-a-dig-a-dig’ all night now,” he laughed.

And there you have it.