You think you know the story of
Be prepared, or you might find you lose your way along the crumb trail.
Look beyond the candy sticks and the crumb trail, and goose pimple your way into the demented abusive tale of Fourth Monkey's adaptation. Voices stripped away and minimal prop usage evoke the stark cruelty and deprivation of Hansel and Gretel's reality. Their vulnerability is preyed upon by the evil witch and they are punished in the most grotesque ways imaginable.
But that's where the strength of this production lies – the audience's imagination. We all vaguely know the plot of Hansel and Gretel, so the cast have the perfect foundation to manipulate the viewers' intelligence through Meyerholdian movements, insinuating rather than telling. Black cloth hanging over a face with elbows bent high not only conjures a peering crow, but continues to leave a smoke and mirror effect on your interpretation of reality. Can you trust your version of what's happening? Can you be certain of what you're seeing?
Your mind will be assaulted. And you'll take a gross pleasure in it. The shock hits you hard. It threw me into a delirious state of giggles – if I didn't laugh, I'd cry. Fourth Monkey have done it: they've lifted the veil of the news stories and the grotesque and shown us what we're all too keen to turn a blind eye to.
The only flaw in an otherwise perfect production is the set-up of the venue. The tiered chairs mean you can't always see the whole stage and as a large part of the action is on the floor, you might find you miss some vital character points because the person in front of you has a Mohican. Sit at the front to be told the whole tale.
There's nudity, sensitive scenarios, chilling music and a whole miasma of terror. Be prepared, or you might find you lose your way along the crumb trail.
