On the approach to the theatre, a young girl walking ahead of me turns to the woman beside her and says: “Can we get a ticket? I’ve seen it before, but I’d like to see it again.” It’s a good omen.
Surprisingly, to me, this is the first time that these Enid Blyton titles have been adapted for the stage. No particular story is played out. In a programme note, award-winning playwright and poet Glyn Maxwell explains that he “cherry-picked the best plotlines” from all the Secret Seven books. The result is a satisfyingly child-centred Christmas caper, including “bad sorts”, a circus strongman, a kidnapped young aerialist and, of course, the children’s dog, Scamper (in puppet and real-life versions).
A dastardly plan to ruin the village’s festive celebration unfurls, only to be foiled by the seven intrepid investigators - plus an additional terrible twosome of a younger sister and rapping friend, bringing added girlpower to the action, which is energetically delivered by the multi-talented, 15-strong adult cast. Audience members lend enthusiastic assistance, both vocal and physical.
Maxwell keeps the 1950s period but gives the story a Wirral setting. James Perkins’s design relocates the children’s garden-shed HQ to a disused bomb shelter, against a jagged, brick-wall background. These changes, along with well-placed references to postwar privations, deftly dispose of the aura of middle-class cosiness often associated with Blyton’s writing.
Alex Clifton’s deftly balanced direction delivers an adventure that is childlike but never childish, while the live music, composed by Harry Blake, with its instrumental atmospherics and unsentimentally effective choral carols, underscores the production’s overall feel of something real yet magical.
As the final applause died down, one of the Key Stage 2 pupils sitting near me turned to a teacher: “I loved it. I’d like to read the books.” That initial good omen held true.
• The Secret Seven is at Storyhouse, Chester, until 14 January
