A Step back in Time to Malory Towers

Malory Malory Malory Malory…. Towers! ❤

This week I had the joy of seeing Malory Towers in theatre at the Belgrade in Coventry. Based on the book series by Enid Blyton, this play follows a group of school girls as they navigate the strange social dynamics of a boarding school.

The play took snapshots of iconic characters and moments in the book and made a shortened and flavourful narrative which kept you engaged (of course – despite the books being such important pieces of literary history, they can be a bit dry!) The use of projected illustrations as a backdrop was really stunning – each of the scenes looked hand-drawn and added another layer of humour too, especially during scenes where forced perspective was used!

Emma Rice (who adapted and directed the play) captured the importance of the play so beautifully;

This is a world that all the family can and should enjoy. The themes of
friendship, compassion and hope resonate across gender, time, class and culture. It’s a cracking yarn, yes, but this deceptively simple subject matter really does give us all a chance to reflect. It allows us a moment to think about growing up, about war, empathy and about our own part in history. In a time when lots of us can feel hopeless and powerless (especially the young), this magic show gives us back a sense of community, agency and shared responsibility.

Emma Rice, 2026

I loved the added element of live music as well – all the cast were talented singers and there were plenty of talented musicians too, and they all got their chance to really shine. Notable mention to Stephanie Hockley who played Irene Dupont for her incredible voice and piano skills! And the harmonies were just lush! By no means was it one of those ‘hooks you in and has you singing the songs for hours’ type musicals, but I really enjoyed that added layer of frivolity that reflected the essence of Malory Towers so well.

Apparently, while ‘tomboy’ tropes were becoming prevalent in UK literature as the book was published (in the 1940s), the character of Bill was quite a strong level of rejection of femininity – probably considered quite radical at the time. I remember when I read the book way back when, Bill was quite the queer icon in my formative years that made me question entire aspects of my personality. (Thank you to Zoe West who played Bill flawlessly!)

Overall it was just a great romp through a beloved classic series of books and it truly did the characters justice. The comic timing from everyone was on point, all the characters were lovable; even the heel – Gwendolyn Lacey (played by Rebecca Collingwood) was deliciously unhinged! Of course, her story is tragic… but you just love to hate her!