Horrid Henry - Trafalgar Studios

SYNOPSIS

Horrid Henry - Live and Horrid!

Cartoons come to life at the Trafalgar Studios this Christmas as Horrid Henry hits the West End in all his horrid glory. An ideal family outing during the festive season, the message from Henry couldn’t be any clearer; come to the show ‘unless you’re a vegetable-eating, homework-loving, smelly-nappy baby - in which case, you should stay at home!’ Adapted by celebrated playwright John Godber and in association with Sheffield Theatres, Horrid Henry – Live and Horrid! is at the Trafalgar Studios, West End, from 21st November to 17th January 2009.

Audiences not familiar with Horrid Henry can learn a great deal from hearing the names of the five stories which are the main components of the stage adaptation – The Dance Class, The Bogey Babysitter, The Football Fiend, The Sleep-over at New Nick’s and The Mega-Mean Time Machine. Henry, a fictional character first devised in 1993 by Francesca Simon, has had his fair share of time in the spotlight. After sixteen titles published, combined sales of Horrid Henry books and audio books stands at over 10 million copies. Combine those figures with the fact that the books have now been translated into 25 different languages across the world and it will come to a surprise to some that Horrid Henry hasn’t been transferred to the stage before!

Horrid Henry – Live and Horrid! is produced by Watershed Productions, described by The Stage as ‘enthralling for new young theatregoers’. Watershed has been responsible for adapting many children’s books for young theatre audiences, especially the works of Jacqueline Wilson. The production is in association with Sheffield Theatres, the largest regional theatre complex outside of London. The production has just completed a UK Tour, taking in Sheffield in August and finishing at the Liverpool playhouse in November.

The stage show has been adapted by John Godber, an English playwright known for his innovative theatre. His work includes the highly-acclaimed Teechers, which has very little set and sees three actors portray the roles of twenty different characters. He has also written Bouncers; both plays are often performed by secondary schools across the country.

Henry is performed by Stephen Butler who reprises his role from the UK tour. Having originally read the role of Perfect Peter, Hannah Chissick, the director, decided he would better suit the troublesome tearaway! Butler has brought other literary characters to life; he dubbed the voice for a Ravenclaw prefect in Harry Potter films.

Horrid Henry – Live and Horrid! appears at the Trafalgar Studios from the 21st November 2008 to 17th January 2009.