Room on the Broom sweeps into Lowry to make children's day

Room on the Broom will be running at The Lowry until Sunday, January 8. The classic best-seller by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler about a witch and her cat who pick up some extra passengers causing her broom to snap, just as a hungry dragon appears, has been transformed into an action packed stage show full of audience participation, sing-along songs and plenty of puppets.

Jayant Singh is one of the cast charged with keeping one of the most critical of audiences entertained.

“There is a huge responsibility when the audience already loves the story,” he said. “But it just becomes so much fun to translate that story for eager audiences. As an actor, it makes you feel as though you have got the audience on your side. You feel so held and that makes you give the best performances that you can. It’s a real gift.”

While most performers know what they will be doing at a show, Jayant literally could be doing anything.

“Officially I’m the assistant stage manager and understudy which is fun,” he said. “I’ll mainly be playing either Bird or the Dragon but I could be called upon to do anything.”

Room on the Broom has been running since the first week of December and Jayant said that the cast have been amazed at the audiences response.

“The amount of times we have seen witch costumes out in the audience, it’s so sweet,” he said. “There are some very catchy songs in the show and so many children know them even before we have performed them. It’s quite something.

“It just shows what a hold the book has on them. They probably know the story better than we do.”

Room on the Broom is a real family show and Jayant and the rest of the performers are acutely aware of that fact.

“Children are so smart as an audience,” he said. “They would recognise it instantly if you did try to patronise them and wouldn’t be slow in letting you know it. You can’t treat them like they don’t know what’s going on and that really keeps you on your toes as an actor.”

The shows is suitable for youngsters aged three upwards but Jayant believes that although they might not admit it, the adults enjoy Room on the Broom as much as the children.

“You often hear after the show a parent or grandparent saying ‘you know I really enjoyed that’. Often the loudest laughs come from the adults,” he said.

With its puppets and music Room on the Broom is a colourful spectacle, but Jayant also believes it has a real relevance.

“It’s a gorgeous story,” he said, “and it’s got a message that I think we all need a little bit. You’ve got all these animals that think they are so different coming together and realising that this little band of creatures are actually a little family. I think it’s so relevant right now.”

Ask any actor about Christmas productions, whether that’s a traditional pantomime or a family show like Room on the Broom, and they will always tell you how important they are in introducing youngsters to the theatre and possibly sowing the seeds for some to become performers as they grow up.

That was certainly the case for Jayant.

“I watched a panto with my family when I was six or seven,” he said. “I think it was Dick Whittington at a Butlin’s resort and with hindsight I think somewhere that must have stayed in my head as something I wanted to be. Now I feel that the opportunity to create that for someone else is just magical.”

The cast are all sharing digs close to The Lowry but Jayant is hoping that he will be able to go back to spend Christmas Day with the family in Derby before performances resume on December 27.

“When you have a show which is a real ensemble piece like this one, it is so important that everyone gets on,” said Jayant. “And we really do and you can see that in our performances; we’re having as much fun as the audience.

“There are so many things that can distract you from being your child self but the most honest connections we have with each other and the most fun we have are when we let that child loose and realise this world can be a big playground.

“We get the chance to do that with this show.”

Room on the Broom, The Lowry. Salford Quays, until Sunday, January 8. Details from www.thelowry.com