The Bolds review

Once the Bolds work out that survival on binned waste, tinned beans and toothpaste is tricky – and that they’ve somehow got to pay all the bills that fall through the letterbox – ever-upbeat Fred finds gainful employment and job satisfaction as a Christmas-cracker joke writer. Then Amelia falls pregnant with twins. Raised as humans, little Bobby (loose-limbed, moonwalking Khai Shaw) and Betty (understudy Ellen Lilley brought fun, sunny energy to the performance I attended) struggle to conceal their true nature at school, as well as from grumpy, curtain-twitching neighbour Mr McNumpty (played with dour Scots, Scrooge-ish aplomb by Sam Pay).

The family’s adventures are full of fabulous twists and turns, involving friendship with celebrity-obsessed human Millie (a lovely performance from Georgina Goodchild, gently suggesting that all is not as it should be at home) and a wild escapade with an elderly safari-park hyena, Tony (Jon Trenchard, also adept on flute and sax). And not even the sharpest-eyed young punters – or their parents – will guess Mr McNumpty’s surprising secret. Above all, Clary engages with ideas of difference and belonging as well as class, ageing and secrets with sweetness, a light touch and a thoroughly wicked sense of humour.