RSC Stratford upon Avon until 19th January 2025
**** four stars. “An admirable feat and a sumptuous design.”
A darker and perhaps lesser-known tale from the master Hans Christian Andersen, and perhaps not a natural first choice for the bringer of festive cheer. And yet the sumptuous fusion of red and green that permeates the design from Colin Richmond somehow creates just about the right suggestion of the season. Fairy tales are often a mix of grim and unpleasant moments fused with a dash of light, hope and some handy morality, and The Red Shoes is no different. The most well-known adaptation is courtesy of the ballet led 1948 film version that shot Moira Shearer to fame. The original yarn is much darker, and this Nancy Harris version is coming together of the two, with Nikki Cheung as Karen doing a brilliant turn as the dance loving orphan. The production is in the hands of director Kimberley Rampersad, she deftly dovetails dialogue and dance and attempts to push the storytelling on a quite jog. And at times it does need to push along, the rather gruesome moments are not ones you want to hang in the memory for long and not a feature that would easily attract the younger feet to make their way to the theatre.
Dianne Pilkington and James Doherty are a very watchable double act and are the ones who take in the unfortunate orphan. They have a lot of fun as the rather nasty hosts, but Karen has bigger worries to ponder when she meets their rather creepy son Clive carved with relish by Joseph Edwards. The dancing is choregraphed by shoes themselves and the dance master and sometime narrator is beautifully portrayed by Sebastien Torkia,
The movement moments stand out, and the design of the space is a delight, and the drops of music add lovely texture and depth. They all do endeavour to support a rather less than joyful Christmas contribution. But it works, an admirable feat, with enough surprises and a treat for most of the family.
David Robinson
Opmerkingen