Lower School House Drama Grimm Tales
‘ What an actor normally does is take another human being and live inside their being for the time it takes to do the play. But the characters in these stories aren’t really human in that sense. They might be called a king or a tailor or a sailor but they’re not like King Lear – they’re more like Old King Cole. So I’m very intrigued by how it will work.’ So said Philip Pullman of a previous stage adaptation of his Grimm Tales . I was equally intrigued, and I came away, at the end of an exhilarating evening, delighted by the ingenuity, stagecraft and seriousness of all involved. Drama is in fine fettle at Dulwich College. Sidney opened with Felix Gralton’s and Harry Muldowney’s Gambling Hans , a study of how all the gamblers of the world imbibed little bits of Hans when he was finally cast out of Heaven by an exasperated Lord and St Peter. Jasper Davies triumphed over a nightmare beard as The Lord and Felix Gralton – who also directed with Zeb Micic – played Hans, leading a disciplined cast with some excellent mimed card games. Felix was a contender for Best Actor but was finally awarded the Good Egg Cup for his contribution to all things dramatic during his time in the Lower School.
Howard followed with The Musicians of Bremen , a simple tale of four animals who set off for the city where musicians are properly paid. Archie Smith’s and Conor Burke’s faithful adaptation, which they also directed, had an authentic sense of period. The animals were delightful, especially Conor’s Dog Hound with his bright, enthusiastic panting. The two narrators also gave object lessons in perfect stillness on stage. At this point in the evening, Conor looked as if he might be in contention for Best Actor. Drake had a more complicated task with The Devil with the Three Golden Hairs and there seemed to be too much narration and too many blackouts at first. However, thanks to Alex Somes Pinero’s direction, there were some truly memorable scenes: the baby floating down the river, the obsequious miller and his sweeping boy, the boy with the ferryman and the Devil’s Grandmother, in a scene reminiscent of Delilah fooling Samson. As a result, Alex was named Best Director and, for his outstanding performance as The Boy, Sebastian Connor was named Best Actor. Raleigh’s task with Briar Rose was simpler, if only because Sleeping Beauty is so familiar. However, there was some real originality in Christopher
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