Swish of the Curtain

As soon as I entered the OXO Tower and saw the piano playing itself, I was plunged into the foreboding but thrilling world of Grimm. That night, we were treated to six adaptions of Phillip Pullman’s Grimm Fairy Tales, each told with passion and creativity. From the well known ‘Hansel and Gretel’ to ‘Thousand Furs’ (a story I hadn’t heard until I read the book), this production really captures the entire fairy tale world.

As well as the brilliant acting, slightly creepy setting (the black, rotting walls covered in spidery handwriting sent a chill up my spine) and the creative props, the way the audience moved from room to room for each different tale. The two casts led us up the rickety staircases, through corridors covered in cobwebs and past twisted portraits before opening a door and ushering us into a dark room. Suddenly, the lights would switch on, the actors would come in and an enchantment would be cast over the silent audience, fixing our eyes onto the stage.

My favourite story was undoubtably ‘The Three Little Men in the Woods’, a funny but haunting tale about two stepsisters fighting for affection. This tale, though a little complex, contains a simple moral: always be kind. In fact, most of the stories have   lessons woven into them, deep under the beautifully arranged words.

Overall, I think that director Philip Wilson has triumphed.