Mr Stink @ Darlington Civic

When I was growing up I loved to read; a good story could keep me riveted for days and I loved classics such as Watership Down, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Swallows & Amazons and Charlie & The Chocolate Factory.  As I grew older & moved into more adult fayre I always held a fondness for great children's stories and so I am delighted to say that David Walliams' Mr Stink is the latest to be inducted along such tomes as Matilda, the BFG, James & the Giant Peach.

The story is a delightful tale of a young girl Chloe (wonderfully played by Lotte Gilmore)  who befriends a tramp, Mr Stink (the captivating Peter Edbrook) and shows him the innocent kindness only a child can deliver.  There's no bias, no agenda, no ulterior motive in Chloe's interaction with the smelly knight of the road and Mr Stink responds to this unexpected kindness with his own insights into life, family and washing.

Chloe's family play to the tried & tested formula of oppressive mother, down trodden but caring dad & obnoxious sister - not quite Horrid Henry style but there's certainly more than a passing nod.  Mum, (played to the cringe-making limit by Julie Nagle) is so pre-occupied with her drive into politics that she doesn't realise Dad is spending his days hiding in the cellar instead of going to work. 

I really didn't know what to expect with this production - I haven't read Mr Walliams' original story (although I do now intend to buy it for my nieces' Christmas) but from start to finish the stage was delightfully engaging - there is puppetry, great songs, very clever use of staging (especially the bath in a pond) and, despite there only being 7 actors there seemed to be a multitude of different characters along with the leads.  Ingeniously every member of the audience received a scratch & sniff guide book which, at key points in the story, allowed us to share in the smells which gives Mr Stink the edge over other sweeter smelling stories.  Some might find these a little too interactive, but it really worked well and all the kids loved the additional 4th dimension.

I think that this show will best appeal to children between 5 & 12 (Jess came with me and really enjoyed the story) but, like the aforementioned classic stories, there is certainly enough in the subtext to appeal to parents & guardians as well.

If you have children then I would definitely recommend coming along; it is much less raucous than a pantomime and yet just as funny & certainly as appealing to the youngsters - what wouldn't they like - there's smells, bodily functions, songs, dancing, puppets and Christmas - perfect !

A quick note on the cast & in particular Lotte Gilmore - Lotte plays Chloe with a perfect balance of child innocence whilst avoiding excessive naivety which would have made talking to a strange tramp quite unbelievable.  I have not come across Lotte's work before but she captured the role wonderfully and is certainly someone who I hope we will get to see again soon.