A SAMUEL FRENCH, LTD. TITLE
Goodnight Mister Tom
Full-Length Play, Drama / 6f, 7m
Adapted by David Wood
From the novel by Michelle Magorian
A tale of two broken souls at very different ends of the age scale, Goodnight Mister Tom celebrates the value of love and proves that friendship knows no barriers.
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Cast Size
6f, 7m -
Duration
120 minutes (2 hours) -
Subgenre
Adaptation (Literature) -
Target Audience
Appropriate for All Audiences
Accolades
- Winner! 2013 Olivier Award for Best Entertainment and Family
Details
Summary
One of the most uplifting stories ever written, Michelle Magorian’s stunning Goodnight Mister Tom is brought gloriously to life in this stage adaptation by David Wood – the UK’s ‘National Children’s Dramatist’ (The Times).
Set during the dark and dangerous build-up to the Second World War, Goodnight Mister Tom follows sad young William Beech, who is evacuated to the idyllic English countryside and builds a remarkable and moving friendship with the elderly recluse Tom Oakley. All seems perfect until William is devastatingly summoned by his mother back to London.
History
Cast Attributes
Keywords
Performing Groups
- Time Period 1940s/WWII
- Setting Various locations in the West Country and London, England. 1939-1941.
- Features Period Costumes
- Additional Features Play with Music
- Duration 120 minutes (2 hours)
- Cautions
- Mild Adult Themes
Media
“Tough, unsentimental yet tender, it is a gem.” – Sunday Express
“If you are looking for a family show with real emotional depth and staying power, David Wood's remarkably appealing stage adaptation of the 1981 children's classic is just the ticket.” – The Independent
“Goodnight Mr. Tom is a powerful learning experience in terms of both the historical context and the horrors of war and worth seeing for those aspects alone. But it is also a totally engrossing and compelling story that is endearing, heartwarming, touching, tender and ultimately uplifting. And you cannot wish for much more than that!” – London Theatre
“Works like a charm… the play will speak to children, without question – but it may well be adults, looking back at a long-ago England while catching reactions of their own younger, fearful selves, it moves the most. Recommended.” – Daily Telegraph
“Tugs the heart strings… moments of enchanting comedy… splendidly faithful to the book… a big success.” – The Independent
“It ends as children’s theatre should: adults audibly snivelling and children breathlessly attentive. Here’s a suggestion: ever since the role of children’s laureate was created, the title has gone to novelists, a poet and the illustrator Quentin Blake. It should now go to a playwright, to acknowledge that theatre too has a vital role. David Wood has been making quality children’s plays for 43 years. Herewith my nomination.” – The Times
READ MORE
Check out an interview with adapter David Wood on how he handled some of the subject matter for children in Goodnight Mr. Tom here.
Videos
Podcast interview with David Wood
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Goodnight Mister Tom trailer
Licensing & Materials
- Minimum Fee: £70 per performance plus VAT when applicable.
- Optional Music/Media Fee: £18 per performance
Authors
David Wood
David Wood has been called “the national children’s dramatist” (London Times). His plays are performed worldwide, and include The Gingerbread Man, The Plotters of Cabbage Patch Corner, Save the Human, Aladdin, Hijack Over Hygenia, Jack the Lad, Larry the Lamb in Toytown, Old ...
