Goodnight Mister Tom: Newcastle Theatre Royal

I CAN’T remember when I read Michelle Magorian’s Goodnight Mister Tom, but I know that I loved it. I had forgotten how bleak it gets and the stage adaptation, by celebrated adapter of Children’s books for the stage David Wood, spares us none of the tragedy. And why should it?

This is a tale of a traumatised evacuee, fleeing from abuse to an unusual idyll, thanks to a crabby old recluse, Tom Oakley, whose own sadness haunts him. There is an admirable dedication to inventiveness here, from the raised multi-purpose square playing space which does very exciting things, to Toby Olié’s fantastic puppets, the most significant being Sammy, Tom’s dog, worked by Elisa de Grey as Puppeteer, evoking a style which makes this a quasi-War Horse for the next generation.

There are also some immaculate performances from David Troughton as Tom and, on the night we were watching from Alex Taylor-McDowall as the bruised boy he takes in. A tangible sense of the time is intensely evoked with Anderson Shelters, jolly Blitz songs and the sounds of Chamberlain and Churchill delivering iconic speeches. For young people, the appearance of a belt, a black arm band and, later, a troubling stench, are symbols they shouldn’t recognise. They will understand them though, by the end.

War is tragic. Lives can be tragic. Theatre can show us of both. There are rainbows of hope and the ending brings mixed emotions of sobbing. This is a mature piece of theatre which any audience can see. Bring tissues.

* Runs until Saturday (May 21). Box Office: 08448-112121 or theatre royal.co.uk

Sarah Scott