REVIEW: The Twits, Nuffield Theatre, Southampton

By Gareth Newnham

IT’S not every day that several hundred children point at you and scream “Hello Beardy man!” but this was just the start of the raucous audience participation that ran right through David Wood’s new stage adaptation of Roald Dahl’s The Twits.

Those who have read Dahl’s 1980 Novella will know that Mr Twit is a 'beardy' man. He’s also cantankerous, violent and a slob. He never goes hungry because he simply fishes rotting food out of his beard when he feels peckish. His wife, Mrs Twit, is no better – cruel cunning and vindictive in equal measure, she keeps a walking cane by her side just to hit children with.

This pair of deplorable humans are unceremoniously introduced in lively fashion as Georgia Lowe's shipping container- turned set explodes with its steel walls falling away to reveal the inside of the Twits home… and Robert Pickavance’s Mr Twit on the toilet complete with string vest and humongous beard like the love child of Brian Blessed and Rab C Nesbit, while Jo Mousley’s Mrs Twit struts her stuff in a pair of well-worn leopard print leggings like Pat Butcher’s evil twin.

Mercilessly torturing each other, the family of Muggle-Wump monkeys the pair kidnap to try and start an upside-down circus, and even the audience at times, Mr Twit and Mrs Twit are convincingly vile throughout. Highlights include Mrs Twit tricking her husband into eating live worms, and the Twits assaulting the audience with water guns they bought to attack nesting birds.

Meanwhile, the Muggle-Wumps not only delight with their acrobatic antics which culminate in a plan to end The Twits reign of terror (with a little bit of help from the audience), but they also double as the house band - grabbing instruments at a moment’s notice to belt out Dougal Irvine’s lively ska infused score, often while performing another fantastic feat of gymnastics.

Crude, funny and thoroughly entertaining for all the family, The Twits is another fine Dahl adaptation that this Beardy-man would highly recommend.

The Twits runs at the Nuffield, Southampton until Saturday( April 1).