THE RED SHOES The Red Shoes company conjured some real theatrical magic in last summer’s Lower School Production of this dark adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen’s fable, writes Emma Haxton
R ed shoes represent glamour, desire and danger, and so it’s no surprise that they are a popular trope in stories with fantastical elements, such as this not- for-the-faint-hearted fairy tale. In this stripped-bare consciously theatrical treatment, developed from Emma Rice’s creative adaption of Hans Andersen’s tale, the narrative is seen through the eyes of the storytellers: haunted, vulnerable, unsure, trepidatious children, waiting for life to unfurl, and for mysteries and secrets to reveal themselves. The red shoes in this reinvention were not necessarily a symbol of vanity, rather they represented temptation and compulsion, and a forbidden foray into an unknown world, as our protagonist, a tour-de-force
from Cassius Flemyng (Year 8), laid bare the ambition and vulnerability of the Child navigating the danger of daring to be different and the consequences and sacrifices of making those choices. Alongside Cass, Sam Cowell (Year 9) commanded the stage as the Machiavellian Lady Lydia, an ambiguous haunted orchestrator of the action, holding us all in the palm of his hand. Other notable cameos came from Arun Slatter (Year 9) and Orfeas Karavas (Year 8) as the Angels, here depicted as RAF pilots complete with wings and fly- ing goggles, and Ifeanyi Eze (Year 9) as the mature Child in awe of the adult world, represented by the dashing soldier, a role shared jointly by Sasha Benn (Year 9) and Hugo Gianni (Year 9). As ever, it was the talented ensemble who were the stars of the show, incorporating many theatrical techniques including narration, puppetry, physical theatre and mul- ti-rolling, switching characters with a shift in physicality and the donning of a hat or a jacket. The characters were archetypal and fluid and there was a playful lightness of touch in evidence as they all clearly invested in the storytelling. Equally, they clearly relished the melodra- matic macabre! There was a wonderful Grand Guignol sequence of butchery as the desperate Child sought help to cut off their feet and we were all invited to relish the horror, with ribbons unfurled to suggest the dripping blood. Plaudits here to Alfred Godfrey (Year 9) for the aplomb with which he wielded the Butcher’s knife as the blood-spattered petals rained from the gantry and red ribbons unfurled. Grateful thanks to puppeteer and ani- mateur Pippa Church, who worked alongside me to create such a heady and memorable production – a perfect coda to the year. ◉
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THE ALLEYNIAN 712
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