Little Red Riding Hood by Katherine Chandler, The Door, Birmingham Repertory Theatre, Broad Street, to 06 Jan 2024. Birmingham B1 2EP.

4****: Joanna Jarvis.

“Bad can be good!”

One of the joys of fairy tales is that, while keeping the core of the story, they can be adapted to the needs of the current age. This is what Chandler has done with this well-known tale. Perfectly pitched for an audience of 3 – 6-year-olds, the narrative of a little girl venturing into the forest on her own keeps the audience focussed for the full 50 minutes.

We are introduced gently to the three characters with the actors appearing among the audience as we take our seats. They talk to the children, helping them to settle into the unfamiliar surroundings of a small dark studio theatre. Mingham’s colourful and flexible setting conjures a small cottage in the forest where a little girl called Red, lives with Nanna, her grandmother.

Ben Simon as Robin, the narrator, began by asking the audience to shout out to Red at set times during the first part of the show. Given permission to be noisy, the audience are happy to comply, adults as much as children. This is especially effective later when the wolf finally appears.

Siobhan Cha Cha is a lively and mischievous Red, causing much worry to her understandably risk-averse Nanna, played with suitable fussing by Nisha Anil. Holding all together is Robin, as they spin a tale of how Red comes to wear the red riding hood. Then Nanna falls ill, and we are ready for Red’s adventure in the forest.

A clever wolf costume allowed Simon to transform quickly from our friendly minstrel into the big bad wolf. The audience are more than ready to shout out to Red in traditional fashion ‘he’s behind you’ and other such chants. When Red finds him in her Nanna’s bed Chandler makes witty use of several songs very familiar to children in the audience.

Overall, the wolf as a character felt a little underused. However, this is a quibble, given the importance of Red and Nanna’s encounter having been eaten by the wolf. Nanna realises that there is a wide world out there to be discovered, whatever your age. For this adult, the main driver throughout is enjoying the relationship between a small girl and her grandmother as she grows up and wants to spread her wings beyond the garden gate and into the forest.

For many the moral of this tale is a warning of stranger danger, that even the most seemingly friendly person might have bad intentions. This is considered, but the overwhelming message, in our post-Covid world, is that keeping ultra-safe can be debilitating, whereas a little managed risk allows us to live our lives to the full.

After a well-deserved curtain call, the actors return once again to say goodbye and thank you for coming as we make our way out of their forest and back into the wide world.

Cast:

Nisha Anil – Nanna

Siobhan Cha Cha – Red

Ben Simon – Robin and Wolf

Creatives:

Writer – Katherine Chandler

Director – Caroline Wilkes

Set and Costume Design – Deborah Mingham

Lighting Designer – Sam Waddington

Composer – Reisz Amos

Sound Designer – Jonathan Pearce

Makaton consultant – Prit Chouhan