a monster calls at bristol old vic…

Last night, Moira and I went to the Bristol Old Vic to see director Sally Cookson’s production of Patrick Ness’s young adult novel “A Monster Calls”.
It was superb.
Actually, before we’d even seen to performance, we just KNEW it was going to be superb… five-star reviews, passionate acclaim by twitterers, stories of audience members hugging each other at the end, tears… and, of course, the very fact that Sally Cookson was the ‘conductor’ behind it all.
The story centres on a 13-year-old boy, Conor O’Malley, and his mother who has terminal cancer. He’s being bullied at school, his father lives in America with his new family, he doesn’t get on with his grandmother, and his mother refuses to come clean about her illness. Life is stark and very tough… and he’s angry. Oh, and of course, there’s a monster – in the form of an old Yew tree – which, ultimately, helps the teenager come to terms with his situation through stories.
As ever with Cookson’s productions, the cast is quite brilliant (I thought Matthew Tennyson, as Conor, was outstanding) – as was the set design and lighting and (of course) the music (Benji and Will Bower!).
It’s profoundly sad and moving, utterly captivating, visually stunning and hugely inventive.
Brilliant, imaginative storytelling and exceptional live performance.
An astonishing piece of theatre.
Photo: from the Old Vic website
PS: The production finishes in Bristol on 16 June and opens at the Old Vic, London on 7 July for six weeks.
PPS: Son-in-law Felix Hayes is also in the cast playing the Dad (and, of course, he’s excellent!).