Britain’s Got Talent judge and bestselling children’s author David Walliams talks about bringing a new stage version of his popular family adventure Awful Auntie to Birmingham.
The comedian has joined forces with award-winning Birmingham Stage Company to take the new production on a UK tour. The show will be in Birmingham at Alexandra Theatre from Thursday October 17 to Saturday October 19 – and is suitable for ages five and over.
And theatre-goers may just see Walliams in the audience in Birmingham as he revealed how he will be “making surprise” appearances at regional shows.
“I’ll be going around the country making a few surprise appearances, just being there and watching it,” explained dad Walliams.
“I love watching it and I love looking at everyone’s reaction, it’s a nice warm feeling inside, that pride that you came up with the story that’s been put on the stage by this fantastic group and that audiences are loving it, it’s a great feeling which I’ll never tire of.”
It follows on from Walliams’ other children’s books Billionaire Boy, Gangsta Granny, Demon Dentist and The Boy In The Dress being successfully adapted to stage. Walliams began writing children’s books in 2008 but since then his novels have been translated into 55 languages, selling over 53 million copies worldwide.
Walliams, speaking about Awful Auntie, said: “You’ve got a ghost, you’ve got a killer owl, you’ve got a car chase, you’ve got all kinds of things, so you need to be really inventive on the way that you approach those things.
“There’s a giant owl called Wagner who can fly after Stella the heroine and pick her up and fly off with her as if she is a bit of prey. Obviously, that isn’t ever likely to happen with an owl and a child but it’s fun to kind of come up with these things that are pretty surreal, but within safe boundaries.
“Kids like that, it’s quite fun to be scared in a way that’s going to thrill you, so that’s what I’m going for in the story.
“The show has to be spectacular, funny and thrilling, and I have seen it already and it is all of those things.”
“Seeing it all again I’ve realized what an amazing part Aunt Alberta is. It’s a female part played by a man so one day I would like to play Aunt Alberta, but I can’t commit to a production for practical reasons – like being a dad and having to do other things but one day I’d like to.
“There is something special about sitting in an audience and getting to experience your story while hearing the laughter, the gasps, the applause, and all those things that would not be the same if you were on stage.”
Walliams is busy working on a cartoon series of Gangsta Granny, his next children’s book, Astro Chimp, is due soon and there’s also a new show in the pipeline with his comedy pal Matt Lucas.
When it comes to thinking up new plots, he talks through ideas for his books with his son: “Sometimes he gives me great ideas like he gave me the title and the idea for Mega Monster, which came out a few years ago, but the problem is he does want 50% of the royalties.”
“He is a good sounding board, he’s great to take to the shows and see what he’s laughing at and see if he’s enjoying it or not.
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“It’s good to gauge his reaction, cause kids don’t fake it. You know instantly because they do not lie, so if they don’t like something you’ll know.”
But for now he’s excited to be working with Birmingham Stage Company again: “It’s a thrill. They’re the kings of doing family shows and so I’m really lucky that I can trust them 100% with it and with this story in particular you have to be very imaginative with the problem of moving it from the book to the stage because it’s a book that’s on a big scale.”
Actor-Manager of The Birmingham Stage Company, Neal Foster, has adapted, directed and starring in awful Auntie as Aunt Alberta. The 32-year-old theatre company is behind Horrible Histories Live on Stage and has done stage adaptations for Walliams of Gangsta Granny, Billionaire Boy and Demon Dentist.
Tickets for Awful Auntie at Alexandra Theatre cost from £13 at the ATG website here. The show runs from October 17 to 19 in Birmingham.