This enchanting production, that was at The Globe last year and was named the Evening Standard's 2023 Best Children's Shows to Book at Christmas, brings to life Brother Grimm's fairytale to a modern audience. Poet Laureate Simon Armitage's songs and poems are silly and catchy, wrapped up with the mayhem and magic of the story.
The play begins as a woman enters the stage in a volunteer high-vis jacket, and begins the story. The storyteller (Jenni Maitland) is engaging, expressive and amusing, pulling us into the tale of Hansel and Gretel. She stays on stage the whole time, lurking in corners and sometimes in the midst of the story; it was a clever way to incorporate the fact that this is a fairytale story and having the narrator there constantly worked well.
The acting was brilliant, with Hansel (Ned Costello) and Gretel (Yasemin özdemir) both performing in child-like mannerisms and being expressive in conveying emotion, especially in the songs. There was lots of rhyming and songs throughout the play, brilliantly written by Armitage, all very catchy and well-written to bring this story more to life, especially for the younger audience.
All the actors were making the children and parents laugh with funny comments, silly songs, and animal costumes. This play felt more like a pantomime than I imagined, although that isn't necessarily a negative, it was definitely aimed towards children as expected so I'd recommend this more for families than couples.
The silliness and funny parts sometimes felt a bit overpowering, and some of the songs did last a bit longer than perhaps they should have to keep people fully engaged. The first half of the play could have been shortened to allow for more to be done with the part when they're trapped in the sweet house. Also, at times I wanted more acting than singing, and feel that this would have created a stronger production.
However, Director Nick Bagnall's Hansel and Gretel was a brilliant, funny production that was well-crafted to bring to life the famous tale. With its bright and bold set - the sweets, the birds, the swan boat, animal costumes - and its fun, elaborate acting, families will be sure to enjoy.
Hansel and Gretal will be at Shakespeare’s Globe until the 5th January.
Review: Cara-Louise Scott-Lapish Photo: Elle Kurttz