Tickets were gifted in return for an honest review
The enchanting world of Roald Dahl’s beloved tale, The BFG, takes a bold leap from the pages into the spotlight as the Royal Shakespeare Company's highly anticipated new adaptation, adapted to the stage by the talented Tom Wells, premieres in Stratford-Upon-Avon.
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| The Sophie Puppet and John Leader as The BFG. Photo by Marc Brenner |
This world premiere production is a celebration of puppetry and imagination, infused with Dahl's signature dark humour which is laugh out loud funny. It is a truly remarkable theatrical staging and an achievement that truly blows you away.
Under the direction of Daniel Evans, the production breathes new, exciting life into Dahl’s tale, chronicling the extraordinary bond between a spirited young orphan and the dream-catching giant.
There's a sense of anticipation before the production begins and it does not disappoint. The pre-show is set with a small house on the stage, and it opens to bring the orphanage to life and off we go for 2 hours of amazing storytelling.
One of the many crowning glories of the production is Toby Olié's astonishing puppets. Every puppet is immaculately crafted and superbly realised. The company of puppeteers all excel in creating feeling and emotion with every single movement. The BFG himself is so friendly and warm, in stark contrast to Bloodbottler and the eviler giants who are seeking the human beans for eating.
The characters are both performed by puppets and humans. As the BFG's human form, John Leader is everything you want from the role. His kindly tone and lovely nature match perfectly for the role. The ingenious switches between puppet and human or vice versa allow for the size differences to play out in such a clever way. It really works. Leader's voice work when he is off stage continues the kindly tone of the role. Huge credit must go to the puppeteers of the BFG, Ben Thompson, Shaun McCourt, Elisa De Grey and Onioluwa Taiwo, all excel in creating this giant and make him feel so real.
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| The company. Photo by Marc Brenner. |
On the press night, Sophie was played by Ellemie Shivers and she was triumphant. A real star performance. Her boundless energy and delightful brightness make her the key central emotional element for the audience and tie the story together. Just you wait, dearest reader, to see the Sophie puppets. I have rarely seen puppets so beautifully made. Shivers never fails and her confidence when switching from interacting with a puppet to the human cast or her off-stage voice work. Maisy Lee, as Sophie's best friend Kimberely, is also just wonderful. Together, Lee and Shivers are magnetic child actors and draw you right in. Their friendship on the stage feels so believable.
Helena Lymbery is fantastic as The Queen. She has a blast in the role, and her delivery is fabulous. She relishes her interactions and commands the royal role with fun. The final sequence, the whizzpopper scene, is a sheer hoot. Sargon Yelda is a fun addition as Tibbs, the royal butler. You are drawn to him when he is on the stage. Philip Labey as Captain Smith and Luke Sumner as Captain Frith add some light relief when the tale can edge towards the darker themes. Sumner is hilarious with his gibberish delivery.
Richard Riddell embodies the menacing giant Bloodbottler. His human form is commanding and brutish and the puppet is a larger-than-life monster-like creation. Another strong puppet team of Fred Davis, Corey Mithcell, Parkey Abeyratne, and Sonya Cullingford create this villainous leader of the bad giants. Bloodbottler will certainly unsettle the younger audience members.
It's not just the puppetry and the performance that dazzle in this production. Its whole visual design has been masterfully created to bring this fantastical tale to life. Vicki Mortimer's set design pairs well with Akhila Krishnan's video design. The initial sequence, as we follow the BFG from England to Giant Country, is the first of many jaw-dropping achievements. Zoe Spurr's lighting design is a rainbow tapestry of colour, pairing the right tone of colour to the emotions of a scene. The tonal shifts between the light and the dark are well realised and really enhance the feeling you get when watching the show.
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| John Leader (The BFG) and puppeteers Sonya Cullingford, Fred Davis, Corey Mitchell and Parkey Abeyratne. Photo by Marc Brenner. |
The illusions by Chris Fisher are a whole world of magic in themselves. There are moments I'm not even sure how they were created. As dreams seemingly fly around the auditorium. The staging choices really just land. It's hard to know where you'd even begin to bring this tale to life with giants, dreams and even a whole bellypopper (a helicopter) sequence in the second act. All the challenges are met and exceeded by the entire creative team.
The soundscape of the show is another layer that adds to the feel of the production. Carolyn Downing's sound design has clarity and allows for enhancing scenes. Oleta Haffner's epic score is a sweeping wonder. It's a beautiful piece of underscoring. It's also a masterstroke by the creatives to not add any singing, it would be easy to add a song or two here and there, especially in scenes like the dream-making sequence but cleverly they have avoided this and it's stronger for it.
It's a staggering stage achievement that is a real team effort from creatives, stage crew and performers. All the elements are perfect. You are swept along by the fantastical work. I felt so connected to everything and a real sense of childhood, freeing fantasy.
This is a production that truly does blow you away. Tom Wells' adaptation and Daniel Evans' direction and the creative team honour the work of Roald Dahl, yet make this something so uniquely theatrically magic. A production that dreams are made on.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The BFG runs at the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-Upon-Avon until 7th February 2026. Tickets are available from http://www.rsc.org.uk/
The show then plays at Chichester Festival Theatre from 9th March until 11th April. Tickets are available from https://www.cft.org.uk/
It then transfers to Singapore, playing at Esplanade - Theatre on the Bay from 22nd April 2026. Tickets are available from https://www.srt.com.sg/show/the-bfg/
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| Helena Lymbery as The Queen and the Company. Photo by Marc Brenner. |
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