THE RED SHOES. To 5 October.
London
THE RED SHOES
Kneehigh Theatre at Lyric Theatre Hammersmith then tour overseas. Details Kneehigh: 01872 223159
Lyric Hammersmith to 5th October 2002
Mon-Sat 7.30pm
Mats Wednesday 25 September & Thursday 3 October 1.30pm Saturday 28 September 2.30pm
Runs 1hr 30min No interval
TICKETS 020 8741 0824
Review Ian Willox 20th September 2002
Hand Christian bloody Anderson.
Four actors in dirty skivvies and a boy dragged up to his eyebrows perform the Hans Christian Andersen classic fairytale with peculiar Cornish relish. Set and costumes may be minimal but the music and the language are lush and strange.
In the original story a poor orphan girl is taken in by an old lady and given a pair of red shoes, which she is not supposed to wear to church. Of course she does wear them to church only to discover that she can't take them off or stop dancing. The shoes lead her over hill and dale until she begs for someone to cut off her feet. The story ends with the footless girl, on crutches, finally being lifted up to heaven.
It has to be said that Kneehigh are not on the side of heaven. Like all fairy stories that persist, The Red Shoes is not about morality but rather a taste of our unconscious needs and desires made perceptible by constant retelling.
The company rollicks through the story. Bec Applebee, wide eyed orphan, doe-eyed lover and terrified dancer in blood red clogs is the core around which the rest of the company orbit. By the time she pleads for the knife to cut off her feet we are watching real drama. And the knockabout nastiness as an affable butcher takes an age to amputate her feet only underlines the queasiness of a true fairytale.
Like the original, the orphan girl hobbles to church in search of solace, the angel descends offering forgiveness and then well you'll have to see the show. But I can tell you, as in all good fairy tales, it ain't sweetness and light. There are no cobwebs on this story. Just the thing to impress a hard-boiled teenager (especially if they favour exotic footwear).
Lady Lydia: Giles King
The Girl: Bec Applebee
The Old Lady/The Preacher's Wife: John Surman
The Soldier/The Shoemaker: Luis Santiago
The Preacher/The Angel/The Butcher: Mike Shepherd
Director: Emma Rice
Designer: Bill Mitchell
Music/Music Compilation: Stu Barker
Poems: Anna Murphy
Additional Text: by the company
Dance Training: Karen Lockley (Clog dance), Graham Puckett & Anne Peskett (Lindyhop)
Lighting Design: Alex Wardle
2002-09-20 20:28:39