Goodnight Mister Tom is a winner all round

Goodnight Mister Tom, Grand Theatre

The sniffs and the sniffles said it all, so the standing ovation was just for good measure.

All were thoroughly deserved by a consummate cast, which measured Michelle Magorian's wartime tale to perfection.

Mixing more than a few laughs with the darkness of child abuse, torture and tragedy is not what anyone would call an easy task.

Yet this inaugural production by the Children's Touring Partnership pulls it off with aplomb.

Veteran Oliver Ford Davies pitches the gruff, but vulnerable, title figure just right and was more than ably supported by 12-year-old Oliver Tritton Wheeler, who delivers a performance well beyond his years, as evacuee William Beech.

These damaged, loveless characters are thrown together by fate and manage to repair their troubled souls by forging a genuine friendship and common bond.

The path to happiness is not easy however, as fate flings their characters this way and that before reaching a heart-rending climax.

Their troubled journey is thrown into sharp relief by Max Longmuir, whose bravura performance as the energetic Zach, reaffirms a love for life amid the rubble and brings the production its greatest moments of light among the dark.

A sprightly pace is maintained throughout, but one minor criticism may be that an extra 10 minutes or so may have helped characterisation in the first half.

However, that does not detract from this superb production aided by an inspired set which transforms from the bright sunshine of Dorset to the danger of London's blitz with an ominous clanking and a sense of dark foreboding.

All in all, a very good night Mr Tom and highly recommended - just don't forget your hankies . . .

* Goodnight Mr Tom runs until Saturday.

Review by By Keith Harrison.