Friday 4th December 2009 until Saturday 23rd January 2010 @ Bristol Old Vic, Bristol

This year’s Bristol Old Vic Christmas show is brimming with potential: Returning to the theatre for their fourth run-out are one of the country’s most exciting, innovative and altogether fantastic theatre companies, Kneehigh, and they’ve brought their adaptation of Hansel and Gretel; a universally well-known fairytale that has strong themes but still retains plenty of elbow room for interpretation and, as with all the best fairytales, has a seductively dark edge. These ingredients are the sort Kneehigh have thrived on in the past (as with 2005’s jaw-dropping Tristan and Yseult and their superb Don John earlier this year) and Hansel and Gretel is no different.

First impressions are good as the tight corridors on your way to the stalls have been decorated with crispy autumn leaves, abandoned leather armchairs and gingerbread men that hang from the ceiling. This intriguing fairytale forest is echoed in the costumes, Bavarian woodsmen meets The Borrowers, and also in the stylish set design; bare wooden planks, worn-out leather and rusty buckets all bathed in beautiful hues of orange and brown. The stage is also very open, allowing shadows to stretch endlessly, creating a set that is as wild and free as the forest. This fabulous design (only spoilt by the witch’s dress and a plastic Christmas tree at the end) instantly has everyone hooked and you can’t wait to follow Hansel and Gretel on their adventure.

The show is a whirlwind mix of physical theatre, song, mime, puppetry, dance and jokes and is a thrill to watch, even though the storytelling could have been a little clearer and we could have done without one or two of the self-indulgent set-pieces. Hansel and Gretel is a move away from the company’s usual mature and layered themes and although it lacks their usual gravity, aiming a lot of the humour at the younger audience members (well, it’s a family Christmas show after all), the show still retains Kneehigh’s insatiable sense of fun and the music performed live flawlessly throughout will have you whistling all the way home.

www.kneehigh.co.uk

Matt Whittle