Johnny and the Bomb is an enjoyable Terry Pratchet story involving time travel, a bag lady and the eponymous Johnny. A new adaptation by the young Bristol based Fragile Theatre Partnership has been developed by the company with a talented young dyslexic director.
The year is 1996 and Johnny and his 4 friends discover a time travelling shopping trolley that allows them to travel back and forwards to 1941. Of course, time travel is never as simple as it seems and soon the friends are in a race against time to change the past and ensure their future survival. On the way they have to cope with some 1940s values, being suspected of spying and risking meeting their own grandparents. If this all sounds like excellent fun, it is.
However, there some issues with the production. The action sometimes moves too quickly from short scene to short scene, with characters running on to deliver a couple of lines before running off again. The low-tech set works well at first, and could be quite charming, but reliance on overhead projector slides to set the scene demands super slick changes that arent there yet. There is no doubting the casts enthusiasm, and they do capture the youth of their characters, but one wonders if the show would have benefited from a little longer in development.
The show is family friendly and most suitable for the 8-12 age group. While children will enjoy the story, adults may be frustrated by less professional moments.
