Unexpected Twist! An Oliver Twisted Tale

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It was wonderful to be there and be part of it again. One of the guys in my group when I was a teen couldn’t make it because he was ill but there’ll be another occasion, I’m sure. Michael Rosen, is of course, theatre royalty. To question any of his creations is akin to a 16th century Protestant heretic doubting the validity of the bread and the wine.

A modern Red Riding Hood, goes off through the woods on her talking pony and she’s in for a big surprise. This thrilling production is brought to vivid life by The Children’s Theatre Partnership, whose shows have included Animal Farm, Holes and The Jungle Book. Directed by James Dacre (2020 Olivier Award nominated Our Lady of Kibeho), Rosen’s novel is adapted for the stage by BAFTA award winning playwright Roy Williams with original music by rising R&B star Yaya Bey and BAC Beatbox Academy’s Conrad Murray.

When I was a teenager, I used to go once a week to the Questors Theatre in Ealing. I belonged to the Young Questors which was a drama club but quite serious in how they taught us how to act using what are called Stanislavsky techniques. We had two teachers, Rena Rice and Larry! I thought they were brilliant and we did all sorts of shows – a mix of plays and sketches. One I remember was the play ‘The Red Velvet Goat’ and we all forgot when to sing the theme song of the play, ‘La Cucaracha’, so Larry, who was waiting at the side, started singing it for us and we pretended that he was on stage and one of us!

There was no greater adapter than Shakespeare. It’s often said that he never made up a story in his life. He just adapted and adapted. I’m in good company, put it that way.”It's a great way for readers to access the classic, making it an adaptation that uses the text, shortened, but keeping the story pretty much intact. Faced with an adolescent who makes Harry Enfield’s ‘Kevin’ character look like Little Lord Fauntleroy, she nevertheless ploughs on with her thankless task. You’d have to ask the team how they came across Unexpected Twist. I rather thought the Macbeth one (Macbeth United: A Football Tragedy) would be good because it’s potentially full of teenage violence.” I’ve filmed at BBC TV’s ‘The Repair Shop’. As I write this, I can’t tell you exactly where, why or what, but the programme I’m in goes out on June 28th. The programme has already put up some photos from the day, so here they are.

And James Dacre’s punchy direction, punctuated by Yaya Bey and Conrad Murray’s undoubted song writing skills keep the momentum on course, although the sound quality on the first night certainly left something to be desired. I’ve been taking part in live streams (and some recorded ones) for schools. Some with the British Library on how to write your own Fairy Tales. Here’s part of one of my contributions:This brand-new play brings to vivid life the worlds of both Shona and Oliver, as their stories twist together, unexpectedly! Michel Rosen is the English children’s novelist, poet, and the author of 140 books. He served as Children’s Laureate from June 2007 to June 2009. He has been a TV presenter and a political columnist, and his books include Carrying the Elephant: A Memoir of Love and Loss and Uncle Billy Being Silly. Oliver Twist will continue to be studied by school kids for eons – because British education only seems to value the works of dead White men – but for it to be enjoyed by kids, it needs a make-over – and what better way to bring it into the 21st century than by turning it into a hip-hop musical?! The strongest vocals, however, come from Kate Donnachie, who plays one of the smaller characters but often takes the lead on ensemble-led performances. Kate, like the other beatboxers in the cast, contributed lyrically to some of the rap and hip-hop songs. It’s rare for a rapper to sing somebody else’s lyrics because rap is such a personal, story-led genre, so it’s great that some of the cast members got to write their own songs.