The brand new adaptation of Roald Dahl’s much loved classic Fantastic Mr Fox arrives at the Lowry next week and promises to be a gloriumptious treat for the whole family!
Although Mr Fox is smart, clever and of course completely fantastic, does he underestimate how determined the farmers are to get their revenge? Can he hatch a cunning plan to save his friends and family? And can rabbit keep quiet for long enough not to give the game away? You’ll simply have to watch to find out!
We sat down with composer Arthur Darvill (familiar to many as Rev. Paul Coates in Broadchurch) to hear more about the show and find out what audiences can expect from this dahlicious family theatrical feast!
Arthur felt it was a real privilege to write music for this new production. “It is a pinch yourself moment. When re reading the book I thought I love this book but I don’t know if I can do this, which I think is a good reaction to have. Throughout the writing process, it has been about honouring what Dahl wrote and making sure the music tells the story in the best way we can tell it.”
A massive Roald Dahl fan, Arthur remembers reading Fantastic Mr Fox in his cabin bed when he was a child growing up back in Birmingham. “I read it in one go, in one night and just absolutely loved it. It had a drastic impact on the way my world was shaped. Dahl made the most disgusting things in life seem like the most joyous. He also had a great sense of justice, which can only be a good thing.”
Arthur expanded on what he wanted to capture about the story and its characters via the music; “There are a definite group of characters in Fantastic Mr Fox; humans and animals. I wanted to give them both a very different sound to start with and as the story develops, these sounds slightly cross over depending on what is happening. The farmers have a dirty earthly English sound and the animals are freer. Mr Fox is arrogant at times and Mouse sings about cheese, which is very sweet.”
We asked Arthur what he hoped audiences would take away from the show? “I hope audiences take away melodies that they can sing on their way home. This show is so much fun and the right people get their comeuppance. It is not black and white. You will go home discussing the moral content of the story whilst laughing at the jokes. It’s a perfect family show for all ages”.
You can catch Fantastic Mr Fox which is adapted by Sam Holcroft and directed by Maria Aberg, from Wednesday 5th July until Sun 9th July at the Lowry theatre, Salford. Tickets available via the following link; https://www.thelowry.com/events/fantastic-mr-fox
Opening Night 