Saw it yesterday.
Main thoughts without spoilers:
It kept to the spirit of the book, which for me is the main thing.
The men didn't bother me at all. They didn't stand out and the chap playing Madame F did it well. I thought I was going to feel cheated when he came on, but actually he was good.
I'm not generally keen on adults playing children, but actually these three worked fine. They were doing a reasonable way of looking younger but without the child gestures that sometimes adults do to look like a child.
The set was great, and the flying scene was brilliant.
Loved the characterisation of Mr Simpson. He was just perfect to me.
Below some more grumbles/thoughts that may have mild spoilers:
Firstly, why oh why do modern productions like to set in the past and then continue to act as though they're in the modern world.
The "children" were plain rude to the adults in a way they would never have been in that era. And as for Pauline asking Theo about being a lesbian. No way in the 1930s would that have even been up for discussion, even if a 12yo had heard the term, which a girl of her class I doubt (and she was younger in the book when they first met too). Lots of other examples which just jarred because they were wrong for the era.
And why did Pauline have to become a "naughty girl"? Expelled from three schools for fighting. Honestly. And that also removed the real reason why they were removed from school, which was finances.
And that brings me onto the finances. You get mentions of it, but not the real desperation of the book. You are only told that they are struggling financially. You needed to see Nana mending and re-mending a frock. The struggle to buy things. The counting the pennies etc.
Pauline hating the name "Fossil" I found wrong. They're proud to have a name they chose, what was the point in having her hate it? I suspect just to add to her "difficult" character - that she didn't really have.
Petrova likes the theatre far too much. The book in a lot of ways is her story. She's forced due to circumstances to make the best of being at that world, and her triumph at the end when GUM comes back and is taking her away from that, means the end sagged a bit to me. Although I also didn't like that Pauline was desperate to go and be a film star. The book is showing sisters working together for their greater good. By making her want to do it, it doesn't show the best of the story.
Posy was okay. I think she was the best characterisation, although she tipped at times into the spoilt rather than dedicated, and I was frustrated that Madame F dies. She's needed for Curtain Up, isn't she? That was an unnecessary change too.
But all in all it was generally well done. Bit of room for improvement - mostly in the script I'd say, but generally worth seeing.