Creation has pulled it out of the bag again, their riveting adaption of the Brothers Grimm classic Hansel & Grettel at North Wall unstoppable from the word go.
Greeted by a coven of chanting witches in Wicked-esque green and black we hit the ground running, as siblings Hansel (Connor Keetley) and Grettel (Hayley Murray) are lost in the woods.
If this sounds rather macabre, it’s not. Thrilling yes, but the chase is continually broken up by brilliant and exhilarating moments of fun, frivolity and a vaudeville outlook, complete with wonderful musicality, songs and dancing thanks to writer, director and composer Paul Boyd and musical director Charlotte Miranda-Smith.
you can actually smell the delicious scent of the gingerbread house
Take the maverick birds, who historically eat the breadcrumbs, here a cheerful flock dressed in brilliant costumes with colourful names – Francis Drake the duck, Florence the nightingale (Clare Rickard) and Gregory Peck (Christopher Finn) the magpie, dressed like a cabaret star, his inner jacket replete with spoils.
Or Dr Frog (Herb Cuanalo), whose yellow patent brogues and Argyll socks dazzle, escorting Hansel and Grettel over the lake to the gingerbread house (whose delicious scent you can actually smell) while vowing to keep them safe.
the little girl next to me stood and sang and danced along with the cast
As for the witch (Jane Milligan), her vocals soar, the sheer calibre of the singing, and indeed the multi-tasking cast of six as a whole, colluding beautifully, alongside the Youth Chorus who helped add volume and spectacle.
There wasn’t a moment when the story faltered or the show lost pace. We galloped along through the forests, skies and lakes willingly, towards the inevitable crux – the witch entrapping Hansel and Grettel in her confectionary lair.
But with a little help from their new friends – they escape, the witch meeting a satisfyingly fiery and dramatic end. And in a celebratory finale, the audience clapped along, enjoying every last note with glee.
Any doubts about whether Hansel & Grettel is suitable for children, were allayed by the little girl next to me who stood and sang and danced along with the cast, fully immersed in the festive spirit being sprinkled by Creation, having the time of her life.
Hansel & Grettel is the most fun you’ll have this Christmas, and suitable for everyone over the age of five, particularly perhaps those over pantos.
So don’t miss out. Book you tickets to Creation’s Hansel & Grettel because Oxford is lucky to have such a passionate and indeed creative theatre company.
Hansel & Grettel runs at North Wall until Jan 4. Book here https://creationtheatre.co.uk/show/hansel-and-grettel/
