Riley highly recommends that you see The Banger and Chips Explosion at the Torch Theatre tonight. As one of our junior reviewers, Riley popped down to the Torch to see what all the excitement has been about ...

When a group of children go on strike for their need for school chips, the school Head Teacher must call for new kitchen workers and unintentionally hire recently released Criminals: Hairy Harry and Cyanide Sid who are begging for a new chance to get some quick cash of the illegal sort.

With an intense kidnapping plot, explosives galore and a sprinkle of police humour, I thoroughly enjoyed this school “drama” packed full of enjoyable characters, lovely gags and amazing story. I had little idea of what this would be about, with the name “bangers and chips explosion” meaning anything I could imagine. However- this is how I liked it and was excited to see how the excellent actors of the Torch Youth Theatre would convey this mysterious story. And I will say I was pleasantly surprised, having enjoyed the Bangers and Chips explosion just as much as their extraordinary performance of Wind and the Willows.

I believe the school children shone out as an excellent bunch of younger actors who made the show that but more authentic and added a special charm and humour that I found amazingly entertaining. I also loved the Criminals and their actors, seeing them fully envelope themselves in the roles (and accents) with humorous results. Although, my personal highlight performance must go to the Police Chief who was by far my favourite character and some of the funniest acting I had seen in months! You could really see that the actor loved playing the Chief and it made the character over all more authentic and fun to watch. I also enjoyed the headteacher's authentic and somewhat accurate portrayal with the headteacher's secretary being another enjoyable character. Both add to the story in a fun and interesting way. From the youngest of actors playing the likes of Billy Baxter to the older they really did a great job of bringing this story to life to present a fantastic show.

OverallI believe that the Youth theatre did a tremendous job and showed the hard work that went into making these shows. I truly hope that they make more of these shows in the future with this level of enjoyment and dedication!