Katherine MacAlister falls in love with enchanting family show Hetty Feather, here in Oxford via the West End

If only all children’s theatre could be as magical as Hetty Feather, currently playing at the Playhouse. Honest, brave, adventurous, emotional and enchanting, I ran out of adjectives long before the final curtain came down and Hetty promised us that although happy endings weren’t for everyone, namely her brother who died in the foundling hospital, or the unfortunates in the workhouse, they were for her.

She fought hard for it mind, from the moment she was born kicking and screaming against her fate, winning a place in the foundling hospital, where orphans were saved from the workhouse by an unfeeling institution geared towards producing soldiers and servant girls rather than any kind of nurturing.

But first Hetty is transported to a neighbouring farm where she is fostered for the first six years of her life, in blissful ignorance. Even at home, Hetty’s flame red hair and temperament makes life hard for herself by refusing to back down, learning some hard lessons along the way and yet Jacqueline Wilson’s famous heroine, is instantly likeable. She is also kind, loyal, brave and determined, all attributes that transfix the young audience from the word go, as well as Phoebe Thomas’ compelling performance.

Finally running away to join the circus and find her real mother, Hetty Feather has resonances of Annie, Jane Eyre, Oliver Twist and Tracey Beaker (Jacqueline Wilson’’s equally famous character) in that it’s the tale of a young orphan taken in by an institution who eventually beats the system; a case of triumph over adversity, and as heart-warming in the telling as you would expect. Like those famous classics before it, without shying away from the desperate reality of Victorian England. If this sounds maudlin, it isn’t. A cheerful and endlessly adaptable cast swing from the rooftops amid a set engulfed by colour and contrivance – circus acts, ribbons, hoops, as bohemian pared back and honest as the performances.

Throw in the wonderfully eccentric band/cabaret act who warm us up with some hilarious ditties, this is more reminiscent of a travelling circus than a slick modern musical and all the better for it.

So if you want to be enchanted, inspire your children and take them to see something utterly worthy of its West End hype, go and see Hetty Feather. You won’t regret it. On until Saturday 01865 305305 www.oxfordplayhouse.com

5/5