Whilst I, a 23-year-old with no one under the age of 18 in my life, am by no means the target audience for this Sherman Theatre production, Tales Of The Brothers Grimm really made an impression on me. I found myself entering the theatre slightly cynical at the prospect of watching a festive musical aimed at children before December had even begun, but I left humming the original songs, discussing the clever set design and marvelling at just how richly talented the diverse cast of performers were.
The story begins in 1913 Cardiff on Christmas Eve with Stevie (played by Lily Beau): a young girl who feels neglected by her mother who, we learn, is a suffragette and often away from Stevie to campaign for women’s rights. Stevie spends the evening with her uncles and is given a book called The Tales Of The Brothers Grimm; her mother, though, forbids her from reading it as ‘there are no happy endings’.
After taking the rather dramatic action of getting her mother arrested in order to read it, Stevie is transported into a world of fairytales and begins disrupting the stories we know all too well along the way. In hopes of finding her own ‘happily ever after’ and returning the characters to their rightful place in the confines of their stories, Stevie realises she is not too dissimilar from her mother – or indeed the Snow Queen, who disrupts the peace of the Grimmdom.
The standout part of this production is the ability of the immensely talented cast to not only belt out their own ballads but to play multiple instruments for the onstage ensemble throughout the show: Snow White dons a violin, while Rapunzel tears it up on the drums. The original songs are catchy, and undoubtedly musical-theatre-like in the genre, but also veer into the realms of pop, rock, folk and soul to create a contemporary sound which suits the vocal talents of each character.
This production has something for everyone, with comedic skits and witty puns that had children and adults alike laughing out loud. The comedic timing and audience engagement created by the Narrator (Kieron Self) broke the fourth wall and had even the youngest children enticed until the curtain closed. The individuality of each character shines through, with sassiness in equal measure from both the princesses and the big bad wolf and fun and energy brought in mass quantities from the Brothers Grimm.
Tales Of The Brothers Grimm is a truly immersive experience from start to finish, with characters arriving from behind the audience and the staging crafted to appear as if the characters are literally walking through the pages of a book. It’s a production that allows every audience member to lose themselves in the festive and magical world of the Grimmdom whilst subtly – yet poignantly – leaving us with an accessible message: there are no happy endings because every day is a new beginning to write our own story.
Tales Of The Brothers Grimm, Sherman Theatre, Cardiff, Wed 30 Nov.
On until Sat 31 Dec. Tickets: £8-£27. Info: here
words ELIZABETH MORRIS
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