David Walliams’ Awful Auntie is the story of unfortunate Lady Stella Saxby (Georgina Leonidas) and the unravelling of her mean Aunt Alberta (Timothy Speyer).
Recently orphaned Stella is left to be ‘cared’ for by her Aunt Alberta when her parents meet their untimely death. Inspired by Roald Dahl, Walliams has written a murder mystery for children and due to a superb set and great acting, it really works on stage. Speyer plays the awful Aunt Alberta almost too well and the children thoroughly enjoy his performance.
It’ll take more than an awful Auntie to bring Lady Stella down….
Aided by Saxby Hall’s resident ghost Soot (Ashley Cousins) 12-year-old Stella sets about finding the truth about how her parents died, and it’s not long before she realises who is responsible. Now she just has to prove it. The clever rotating set, designed by Jacqueline Trousdale is a masterpiece and sets the scene of Saxby Hall perfectly.
Stella and her loyal friend Soot set about ousting Alberta from Saxby Hall but this proves tricky as the Awful Aunt is often one step ahead. 
An endearing story of friendship sets a nice undertone in an otherwise tragic story.
A special mention really does need to go to Richard James who plays Gibbon the Butler of Saxby Hall, A comical performance, capturing the essence of the character perfectly.
David Walliams seems to have a way of creating characters that kids love and these characters have been brilliantly brought to life on stage due to a great cast, bright costumes and a dynamic and exciting set. I really was pleasantly surprised and enjoyed the show much more than I thought I would – I thought it really was just going to be for the children but mums, dads and grandparents will love this too. This is a must-see for fans of Walliams’ work.
Awful Auntie is on tour until 1 December 2018
For tickets and dates, go to www.birminghamstage.com/shows/awful-auntie
Playhouse Pickings 