These holidays Tim Bray’s stalwart family theatre company tackles a gratuitous classic from that post modern hero of children’s literature, Roald Dahl.  Mr and Mrs Twit are a detestable couple of grumpy sadistic morons best described as ‘disgusting’.  They hate everything, particularly anything happy or nice, and especially each other. 

Musician / Narrator Ludwig Treviranus (if that’s his given name he was clearly destined for a life in the finer forms of musicianship from the start) lazily twiddles out some snappy electro-geek jazz before the lights go down.  The musical style combined with the blue plaid print suit and nerdy glasses strongly suggest a Herbie Hancock influence.

Brad Hills as Mr Twit is gruff and rude enough to get the point, but really could have been a lot more yucky than he was.  I thought an older character actor might have reveled more in the role’s possibilities, and wondered if a younger man was cast for purposes of stunt work.  However, a couple of moments notwithstanding even the physical potential isn’t heavily exploited as far as the title characters are concerned.

Denise Snoad’s Mrs Twit is a bit more gross but the twits as I know them are fairly unfathomably horrible.  Nevertheless, as I said, we get the point and some of the kiddies are quite tiny so perhaps the levels are consciously tempered.  Anyway, by and by after playing a number of mean-spirited pranks upon each other, Mr Twit has the seemingly random inspiration to start a monkey circus.  So it’s off to Africa to capture themselves a troupe, and how they can afford such an excursion is apparently an irrelevant mystery.

The monkey family known as the Mugglewumps carry much energy, being monkeys, and have the full attention and support of the young crowd, being the heroes of the story.  Tama Jarman as Dad and Te Kaea Beri as Mum are wholesome, dedicated parents and clever, resourceful little monkeys to boot.  Their endearing offspring Little Mugglewump, played by Natasya Yusoff, is loveably irascible, the character undoubtedly most related to by the children. 

Flamboyant favourite Roly Poly Bird (Adam Burrell) has a costume and a personality that seems like it might be based on a forecasted Priscilla craze, despite the disparate demographs: ostentatious, preening and, for want of another word being more to the point, camp.  As such it’s one of the star turns of the piece, and contrasts well with the nicely underplayed presence of Elana McNeill, puppeteer for the minor but essential bird characters.

Costumiers Chantelle Gerrard and Sarah Kolijn have adorned the players with due aplomb.  Mr and Mrs Twit resemble brain-fried vagrants.  The Mugglewumps resemble monkeys as one would hope, thanks also in part to the facial makeup design of Li’l Wump Yusoff.  My son loved Roly Poly Bird, while I’m torn between his and Treviranus’ outfits for a personal favourite.

Tim Bray has directed another engaging piece of old-school family theatre (complete with live music and an actual curtain!).  Plenty of clever jokes, stupid jokes, audience participation games and sing-along numbers make for a fulfilling hour’s theatre.  Plus you get to meet the characters as you exit.

Anyone not already familiar with at least a handful of Roald Dahl’s works, if such a being even exists, get thee to a library!  The Twits is in some ways the consummate Dahl tale, combining the unpredictable anarchy of his most famous works (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, James and the Giant Peach etc) with the outrageous gross-out elements of his greatly celebrated Revolting Rhymes collections.  Not to give too much away, the ending is softer and altogether more positive than that of the novelette.  If you have read it you may agree it’s probably just as well, for reasons already mentioned.

Hot tip: some kids came dressed as one of the Twits or the Roly Poly Bird and scored free posters and spades of kudos for doing so. 

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