The Grimm Tales

Posted on Friday 12 December 2008

Story-telling comes alive in the Christmas production

Hansel and Gretel and the Old Seer 

Grimm fun in Prospect for Christmas

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Students from the Sixth Form College Farnborough delighted a packed Prospect Theatre audience with something very different in this year’s Christmas production. This was an evening of pure storytelling - favourite tales from the Brothers Grimm were given a sparkling makeover by directors Matt Sheppard and Emily Tobias in a witty and wise performance which skipped as lightly as the clever hedgehog outwitting the hapless hare. 
Hansel (played by Jeremy Day) escapes his feeble father (played by his brother Richard) leading his starving sister Gretel (Alice Phypers) through a dense, dark, living forest of human branches only to find themselves fattened up for the witch’s cooking pot. But of course the horrid hag (Rebecca Alloway) can’t escape her hideous fate and, once she’s in the fire, all live happily ever after! 
Alas, not so the mouse, the bird or the unfortunate sausage brought alive by Catrin Addison, Matt Brown and Pranav Chada, only to perish for their stupidity.  And here was the tale of Ashputtel (Collete Lucas) cold, hungry and horribly abused by her cruel step-sisters (Michaela Ludford and Kate Lugton) only to go to the ball in triumph. Of course she marries the Prince (Emily Lunn) but not before the step-sisters have shed a toe or two trying desperately to squeeze their over-size feet into the magic slipper!
This was a fine ensemble performance by College enrichment drama students; the cast (almost entirely drawn from first year students) skilfully used every aspect of physical expression to inspire the imagination through these sometimes dark but always entertaining tales. Moments of wonderful comedy illuminated these cautionary visions, flooding like the gold from the backside of Ben Blake’s fabulous donkey, flashing like the light from the tinkling bell of his lying (but rather sweet!) goat. Supported by a creative technical crew who really got the best from this space, the hard-working, beautifully costumed cast took on dozens of parts and sang their way into the festive season.