This isn’t a sponsored post.
BrumHour was invited to the press night performance of Gangsta Granny by Wolverhampton Grand.
By Dave Massey twitter.com/BrumHour
This production deals with themes of aging and loss.
Review: Gangsta Granny at Wolverhampton Grand
Adapter and Directed by Neal Foster
Mum (Jess Nesling) and Dad (Jason Furnival) go dancing every Friday night and parcel their son Ben (Justin Davies) off to his Granny’s house regardless of what he thinks about it. His Granny (Isabel Ford) is obsessed with cabbages and every single meal seems to be cabbage-based. One Friday night Ben spots a bunch of true crime books on a shelf in the kitchen, he realises granny might secrets of her own.
From its rotating sets to its fun lighting and music, Gangsta Granny is very “British” in its story, There’s Raj at the corner shop Irfan Damani as Raj offering sage advice, parents obsessed with Strictly and lots of references to very British looking things like the NHS, British Police and drinking from flasks on a day out. There’s also plenty of poo and fart jokes to make the younger audience giggle. Which they did throughout.
Justin Davies is great as Ben and his light Welsh accent is a delight to hear throughout. Jason Furnival gives a pretty reasonable Black Country accent too which made the home crowd a tad suspicious, particularly with the references to Birmingham thrown in elsewhere. Jess Nesling is fun and enthusiastic as the single-focused mother of Ben and she puts in a fantastic appearance as a different character later on. Isabel Ford is an excellent granny and switches between vulnerable and sneaky in a flash.
Gangsta Granny is a fun filled two hours which doesn’t shy away from serious themes and content which could upset people dealing with their own grief, the age suggestion is for over 5s but if you have a young person who struggle to sit still or keep quieter they might find themselves moving about a lot.
An ideal half-term show, Gangsta Granny is Live on Stage at Wolverhampton Grand until Saturday 26th February. Book tickets here: grandtheatre.co.uk/whats-on/gangsta-granny
