The ‘Malory Towers’ books by Enid Blyton have served generations of young readers with escapism, putting the girls of Malory Towers boarding school front and centre in all manner of adventures and journeys, romanticising their youth of the 1940s with ‘found family’ and derring do. That’s not to say that everything is through rose tinted specs, as familiar school dynamics are played out against this fantastical backdrop, with elements of bullying being particularly impactful, alongside new friendships and spiky troubled youth.
An Emma Rice Company theatre production has become a Brighton Festival tradition, and so it is an absolute treat to have them back again with a new story. Last time it was an adaptation of Hitchcock’s ‘North By Northwest’, serving up a snazzy slightly trippy stylised 1950s thriller. This time the production is more a straightforward musical adaptation of familiar material. The cast of seven are all singing and all dancing and also play most of the instruments– giving a bandstand-the-gang’s-all-here vibe that further cements them as believable school friends. The staging and production offers smooth and impressive versatility of set, with playful puppetry elements and cumulative sound, light to create the gripping cliffhanger which leads into the interval.
The seven actors are a delight, playing their own every-schoolgirl prototype – from main protagonist Darryl Rivers’ quick temper and strong sense of fairness, to strong and kind-hearted tomboy Bill – meaning that there is someone for each little girl the audience to see of themselves up there. This celebrates the tales of girl power before Ginger Spice was a twinkle in her grandmother’s eye.
The story arch of troubled Gwendoline Lacey is upsetting and then devastating, making me question how the younger members of the audience in the 8+ advised age bracket might be reacting to a scene that frankly had me in bits. But it leads again back into school’s aim and mantra to produce “strong young women the world can lean on”, quietly letting on that friendships aren’t all ginger ale and putting on plays.
Blyton’s material hasn’t always aged well, but this medley of first days, personal epiphanies, and imperfect friends is a cherry-picked success.
Theatre Royal Brighton, 19-23 May 2026
