28 November – 19 January

Christmas shows are a special thing in the theatrical calendar. This is due in no small part to what we, the audience, bring to the theatre. An expectation and mood that the shows themselves would do well to cherish. The company that previously brought us, The Snow Queen and Snow White, clearly have that awareness of the treasure their audiences bring to the theatre baked into their DNA. As before, the cast lavish their considerable talents on storytelling that knows no boundaries.

Moving, touching, absurd, silly, hilarious, knowing, witty, it is at times self-referential, caring not a fig for conventions, fourth walls or any kind of wall, the show has that magical power to pull us into its own little world. It is a world far away in time and space and yet just around the corner of today. There are contemporary references for the mums and dads to chuckle at whilst the story is very much that of the brothers Grimm.

Hansel (Abayomi Oniyide) and Gretel (Stefanie Mueller) have two dads, Nicholas and Nigel (Martin Bonger and Joey Hickman), both woodcutters, but times are hard and they live in a land scarred by famine and hunger. With two dads the story has to do without the usual wicked stepmother, a problem the writers have overcome by suggesting that delirium on the part of dad Nigel, brought about by hunger, leads him to concoct a cunning plan to reduce the number of mouths to feed in the woodland cottage. The witch (Samantha Sutherland) whose irresistibly delicious cottage the children eventually pitch up at, of course gets her come-uppance at the hands of the wily Gretel after fattening up Hansel for the pot. Thus innocent youth bests the nasty old hag and return home to their distraught papas laden with a source of plenty in the form of the witch’s magical pot which promises inexhaustible food.

Much of the charm of this production is in the music, from the jaunty opening number through some jazz, beautiful incidental music, to the final number. This is faultless in execution and composition, and follows the changes in atmosphere and setting that seduce us into the world of the fairy story. Delivered in the round and so playing to the Tobacco Factory’s strengths the show is a delightful example of creating much from relatively little other than an abundance of talent.

★★★★★  Graham Wyles, 5 December 2024