Fantastic Mr Fox, The Little Angel Theatre

Puppet extraordinaires at Little Angel bring Roald Dahl’s classic cutthroat story of Mr Fox and his family to the stage. 

"On a hill above the valley there was a wood. In the wood there was a huge tree. Under the tree there was a hole.  In the hole lived Mr Fox and Mrs Fox and their four Small Foxes."

So begins Roald Dahl’s story of the rather fantastic Mr Fox , who makes a living stealing from the three local farmers, fat Boggis , squat Bunce and lean Bean . Driven to desperate measures, the farmers band together and between them come “armed with sticks and guns and hatchets and pistols and all sorts of other horrible weapons.” But Mr Fox won’t fight back— he doesn’t want to sink to their level— so he resolves to outfox the lot. 

This production returns to the lovely Little Angel Theatre after a four year break. Animals and humans alike are crafted into storybook inspired puppets— complete with big black eyes and fluffy tails. There are plenty of songs and music courtesy of Ben Glasstone (including the memorable farmers’ song, which gleefully exclaims “We’re filthy as a pack of rats!”) 

Steve Tiplady returns to direct this surprisingly dark adaptation. Tiplady insists that “theatre should be magical.” He is the brains behind such charming productions as the RSC’s puppet-led Midsummer Night’s Dream and another book adaptation, Michael Morpurgo’s The Firework Maker’s Daughter in 2013. Fingers crossed that actor Charlie Folorunsho will return to the four-man cast to play Mr Fox— a talented puppeteer, he is also a hugely charismatic actor. 

It’s wonderful to see the production make its comeback. It’s a charming story for young audiences and their parents too. And the puppets alone are a work of art

Suitable for ages four and up.