THAT fairy tales are dark and unremittingly cruel is a truism we can all understand and never has the theory been more starkly laid out than in this baffling yet compelling production at the Swan.
The plight of the vulnerable child at the hands of malevolent carers, the inevitability of death, routine cruelty to animals and (spoiler alert if appropriate) summary amputation in the face of unwanted spiritual possession by footwear – it’s all right here in this sparkling family show.
Nancy Harris’s new version of this classic tale is certainly macabre, but with a fine helping of dark comedy. Orphan Karen’s new carers are social climbing narcissists viewing her as a commodity from which they can profit; her new brother enters carrying a bloodied dead cat in a plastic bag and lightens up only marginally in the subsequent action.
As the family Dianne Pilkington, James Doherty and Joseph Edwards all turn up the characterisation and, though the accents fluctuate wildly, the fun and energy never drop.
There’s excellent support from Sebastien Torkia appearing in various guises from inept village priest to creepy magical shoemaker with a licence to engage the audience in a way which will blossom the more youngsters feature in the coming performances.
As orphan Karen herself Nikki Cheung is slightly hamstrung by the decision not to give her any lines at all in the first third of the evening. When she does find her voice, it’s a performance of quiet charm delivered with a default expression of casual bewilderment.
But as she’s there principally as a dancer it’s gratifying to report that this is where some of the production’s best moments arrive. The solo dances are brilliantly executed and wonderfully choreographed as is the spirited tango performed under the influence of the recalcitrant shoes.
The staging is busy and attractive. There’s an element of magic trickery on offer but it’s not really enough to impress. Marc Teitler’s live music is truly eclectic encompassing jazz, Max Richter and pop songs and Colin Richmond’s design is fabulously fluid and unashamedly red.
A chorus of oddball characters with more than a hint of Tim Burton to them fill up a lively and very watchable show.
Any lurking suspicion that things might turn out well for the hapless Karen swiftly disappear as the shoes refuse to cede control and the axe falls in the most shocking of remedies. From that point it’s all hospital beds, false sympathy and rejection from the tale’s possible love interest.
Some sort of redemption comes with a poignant dance on the bloodied stumps – and presumably in a future sequel in which she overcomes her disability and triumphs in Strictly – but Kimberley Rampersad’s direction sees it all end on a sombre note.
Previous RSC family productions have introduced countless youngsters to the magic and spectacle of live theatre encouraging them to return. Whether introducing them quite so bluntly to the theatre’s ability to unsettle and repulse will end up driving them away is something one hopes the RSC has fully thought through.
Visit www.rsc.org.uk for tickets and full performance details.
