The Witches (or Roald Dahl's The Witches) is a stage musical with book and lyrics by Lucy Kirkwood and music and lyrics by Dave Malloy, based on Roald Dahl's 1983 children's novel of the same name.
Production history
World premiere: London (2023-24)
The musical had its world premiere in the Olivier Theatre at the National Theatre, London as a co-production with the Roald Dahl Story Company on 21 November 2023 (following previews from 7 November), running until 27 January 2024. The production will be directed by Lyndsey Turner and choreographed by Stephen Mear.
Full casting was announced on 4 September 2023 including Katherine Kingsley as the Grand High Witch, Daniel Rigby as Mr. Stringer and Sally Ann Triplett as Gran.
Premise
A boy and his grandmother live in a world run by witches, and The Grand High Witch is planning to turn the world's children into mice.
Musical numbers
Cast and characters
Production team
Critical reception
Reviews were positive, with The New York Times calling it a "deftly rendered production, a high-quality piece of family entertainment that skilfully blends the playful and the macabre, and does justice to the author’s distinct comic style.". The Independent and Time Out London both gave it 5 stars, Time Out calling it "a hysterically funny triumph". BroadwayWorld also gave it 5 stars, saying it "combines exuberant fun, quick-witted comedy and a positive attitude towards death to produce an enthralling, clever and incredibly funny production.".
References
