The Boy in the Dress divides opinion at RSC - review

This is a Marmite sort of show and while there was much wild whooping and frantic applause, there were also some folded arms and stony faces.

The Boy in the Dress review

A wonderfully warm-hearted and well-cast show.

The Boy in the Dress review

Bright performances, but a disappointing score.

Review: The Boy in the Dress

If you wanted to criticise, you could argue that The Boy in the Dress is not as subtle as the RSC's last musical hit Matilda. But then Matilda didn't have a farting dog. This show is just as much a hit, an exhilarating assertion of the goodness in people and their capacity for acceptance of difference, at a time when we very much need that sentiment to be shouted and sung from the rooftops.

David Walliams & Robbie Williams collaborate on musical

Two of the UK's biggest stars, Robbie Williams and David Walliams, are behind the Royal Shakespeare Company's new musical, The Boy in the Dress.

The show has been adapted from the novel by Mr Walliams, with songs co-written and co-composed by Mr Williams. It tells the story of the issues that arise for a 12-year-old boy called Dennis, who is his school football team's best striker and wants to wear a dress.

BBC arts editor Will Gompertz spoke to them and to the RSC's artistic director Gregory Doran.