There are few things more annoying than mugs that say “You don’t have to be crazy to work here…but it helps!” and adult editions of books for children. Everyone knows work is not fun and that you can’t judge a book by its cover: it’s a question of adjusting your expectations to avoid disappointment.
Catherine Wheels’ promenade production of Hansel and Gretel, currently at the Barbican, is anything but disappointing. The costumes and sets are excellent: the story starts in a beige-and-brown 70s world of tank tops and Tonka trucks before moving off through a very eerie forest and ending up at the Hell’s kitchen which is the witch’s house.
The Brothers Grimm’s fairytale is already pretty dark and Gill Robertson’s inspired casting of the fabulous Helena Lymbery in the dual roles of vampish stepmother and bestial witch allow an exploration of the sinister side of female sexuality that lurks behind the tale’s happy ending. Having said that, this version of Hansel and Gretel is very much a children’s show and the expressions of delight on the faces of the kids in the audience are worth the ticket price alone.
Live music mingles with an impressive and often disturbing soundscape to cover the moves between the different settings. The audience is ably shepherded from place to place by a small army of volunteers, a process that will doubtless get quicker as the run continues.
You don’t have to bring a kid to enjoy this production… but it helps.
Hansel and Gretel
Catherine Wheels Theatre Company
1 December 2008 – 4 January 2009 / 10:30, 13:00, 19:00, 15:30, 18:00, 15:00, 17:00
Barbican Theatre
