Simon Ward reviews Twisted Tales at the Cockpit Theatre

In an otherwise dark theatre, a large book is illuminated in the centre of the stage. As the troupe of actors approach this peculiar object, one of them works out that it can be opened to reveal its secrets. Once opened, further magical properties are revealed – from strange noises to singing and dancing. And, most of all, story-telling. Using only their bodies and voices, the world of the storybook is unfolded and made manifest before our eyes. In many ways this is theatre at its best – audience and cast work together to exercise our collective imaginations and bring these worlds to life. It helps when the stories are familiar.

Opening with a version of Three Men In a Tub, complete with sea-sickness inducing movements, the wit, energy and excitement of the players is a joy to behold. Although there is a lot of mime, there is much use of spoken word as well, again witty and full of charm. Leaping from story to story in quick succession we see Goldilocks invade the privacy of the three bears, little Red Riding Hood fall into the clutches of the wolf, and Alice try to cope with the baffling demands of Wonderland. So far so good. Problems arise when we come to the final and longest tale of the show, one with which this reviewer, at least, was much less familiar. Indeed, I am still unsure to what extent it was an historical account of King Alfred’s struggle with the Danes and to what extent a legend. Whilst, again, there were moments of wit and comedy, the purpose they served was rather unclear in a context where the audience may not know much more about Alfred than some apocryphal burned cakes, still less about the opposing Danes/Vikings. In admirable fashion, both sides get significant time here, and one does, to an extent, see something of their motivations. Nevertheless it doesn’t feel like the best use of a shapeshifting mass of thespian ingenuity to deliver a Horrible Histories version of the travails of the Mercian kingdom. Furthermore, as there is no attempt made to draw the threads together, or, indeed, to escape from the confines of the book, an unfortunate consequence is that the audience is not clear when the show is over.

All that said, there is much to enjoy in this, and one could not help but admire the energy and commitment of the ensemble acting on display. Written by two members of the cast, Lewis Evans and Amy Fielding, and directed by the whole cast with Johnny Carrington, this approach and these actors have a lot of potential. It seems to me that there were the makings of two shows here – a new spin on children’s classics which has ample possibility for extension and the group’s twist on the embryonic beginnings of England in Alfred and the Vikings. If given greater time and context, this could also have stood in its own right. An evening of promise and potential rather than a full-blown success.

Twisted Tales is running at the Cockpit Theatre, Gateforth Street, London NW8 8EH until Saturday 26th August.