Produced by Jeremy Walker for the National Youth Music Theatre 

Written by Ethan Lewis Maltby and Jenna Donnelly 

Choreographed by Darragh O’Leary
Designed by Diego Pitarch
Musical Director Candida Caldicot
Lighting Design by Neill Brinkworth 

Production photographs taken by Matt Hargreaves

Rehearsal footage and thoughts on the process can be seen here, here and here.

Reviews

Jonathan Baz 4*
“Director Kate Golledge and choreographer Darragh O’Leary have combined to create some exquisite work both in scenes and songs; taking us from land to stormy seas in the blink of an eye. Golledge ensures that while the script demands a lot from the young performers, their natural innocence and raw juvenile energy is never lost.”

London Theatre 4*
“Director Kate Golledge has brought out the very best in those children. Their acting is natural, warm and intensely watchable. They understand the script, they know what they are doing, and they know how to work with and listen to each other. It is rare to be able to say that an entire cast is uniformly excellent, especially when the cast is made up of 27 people, but that is certainly the case with The Battle Of Boat.”

My London Dream
“Sitting in the theatre, there will have been individuals touched by war, ones who haven’t, and those who have served on the frontline. Regardless of which category you fall into, The Battle of Boat is a musical that the whole family can enjoy and reflect on in different capacities. It’s not often that a production can touch an audience cross-generationally, but they’ve pulled it off with smooth sailing.”

Gareth James
“I’ve been going to NYMT shows for many years (though not 40!) and this is as good as any. When you look at their alumni, the chances are very high that you’ll be seeing some of these on professional stages in the future. Only twenty years ago I was seeing Sheridan Smith in three shows. Stars are born indeed.”