Arts Event Review - Children's Theatre.

On Friday night I went to see a production of ‘Hansel and Gretel’ at the York Theatre Royal. Below is my review!


Bright, up beat and funny – Amanda Smith’s Hansel and Gretel was immediately captivating. The audience of young children and parents alike were spell bound by the actor’s through their various methods of story telling. The fairytale was told in the form of flashbacks but from different perspectives (those of Hansel and Gretel) which inevitably led to comical arguments between the two actors. Multi-roling allowed the cast of two actors too take on different personas – using exaggerated accents and physicality, which the children found particularly funny.

The acting was suitably melodramatic, with exaggerated facial expressions, enhanced by singing, music, poems and coloured lighting. Audience members were encouraged to participate in the action, the children enjoyed chanting and clapping and also found the use of ‘toilet humour’ most amusing. Brightly coloured costumes featuring primary colours and big patterns were eye catching. These were supplemented by other costume elements as the actors took on different roles, for example Gretel wore a head scarf to become the step mother.

Overall, I found the performance entertaining; however I opted not to take part in the chanting!