The Magician’s Elephant – Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon

Jack Wolfe in The Magician’s Elephant at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon. Picture: Manuel Harlan (c) RSC

The Magician’s Elephant continues at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon.

Star rating: three stars ★ ★ ★ ✩ ✩

It’s a joy to see the RSC welcoming audiences back to Stratford for the first time since March 2020, offering a musical treatment of Kate DiCamillo’s enchanting tale The Magician’s Elephant.

We are delivered a sumptuous, atmospheric ensemble piece which enjoys a stellar cast and crew but yearns, frustratingly, for a deeper focus.  

Its immediate relevance, of course, is undeniable. DiCamillo’s novel deals with a town stuck in its collective post-traumatic grief, unable to see beyond the protective routines it has built, until a moment of magical catastrophe hands them a dream of change. Our young hero Peter is forced to come of age and hang onto his compassion, in the midst of very adult emotional dilemmas which surround him.

Nancy Harris and Marc Teitler’s charming adaptation feels however a little unsure of itself. With all this to explore, the focus is split between so many ‘profound and difficult questions’ that its core narrative becomes obscure, and the stakes don’t have the chance to rise. It feels at times like watching a series of heartfelt but disconnected vignettes – the setting is the same, but there are so many threads that it isn’t clear what or who is most important.

Thankfully, there is plenty to feast our eyes and ears upon in the meantime – Colin Richmond’s design is absolute perfection. Every costume is a work of art, bringing an otherworldly, Burton-esque peculiarity to our company, and in the dim mystery of streetlamps, the industrial town of Baltese takes on an epic scale and grandeur while still remaining intimate, whimsical and inviting. 

Of course, we are forgetting the elephant in the room. Tracy Waller and Mervyn Miller’s giant elephant is a gorgeous five-manned puppet, whose presence alone is enough to give you goosebumps. It’s a shame that her entrance feels a little anti-climactic – she feels in want of her big moment. Her puppeteering, though physically impressive, lacks focus at times, and so her expression suffers.

Incredible nonetheless, are the company. Jack Wolfe is electric as Peter, with a voice that could melt granite and a pure, melancholic presence that’s impossible to ignore. It’s also an absolute delight to see Summer Strallen as an indulgently vicious villain (Countess Quintet), as ever faultlessly gymnastic in voice and full of relish.

Miriam Nyarko packs a punch as the plucky Adele, and it’s a shame we don’t see more of her – the same, too, for Marc Antolin as Leo, who delivers a really honest, engaging role with some great comic moments.

Despite a slightly lacklustre set of musical themes, Tom Brady and Mark Teitler’s arrangements explode with passion and detail, and the ensemble is dazzlingly precise and full of heart – it’s a joy to see this much detail in such a large company.

This is a lovely show to bring families back to the theatre with – it would be delightful to see more opportunities taken to bring younger audience members into the world of Baltese, but there is plenty of food for thought (and delights for the senses) for all ages.

Aura Simon