The Brother’s Grimm Spectaculathon | Left of Right Theatre Company
Left of Right Theatre Company’s production of The Brother’s Grimm Spectaculathon (written by Don Zolidis) was a night of fun and frivolity.
Directed by Torin Cook, the staging was very Hoodwinked-esque, with quirky spins on classic fairytales focusing more on the ridiculous nature of the plots, with an added spoonful of adult humour and sexual innuendos. The self-aware nature of the humour was fast paced and energetic, meaning that if not every joke landed, there was bound to be one just around the corner that would slay.
The set was minimal, featuring Rapunzel’s tower and a lectern which oddly enough was hardly ever used. Performers moved beds, doors and fireplaces on and off, complimenting the story being told at the time. The minimalist nature of the set served the show by bringing focus to the colourful costumes and exaggerated characters.
The script was a hybrid form of a pantomime cross with a farce, featuring lots of audience interaction and sixty bold characters played by only six actors… it truly made you wonder how they were all not out of breath. None more so than Luke Woodrow, who played both the stepsisters, the stepmother, the prince and Cinderella in the same sketch and did a smashing job of it, leaving the audience both in awe and hysterics. Each performer had loads of charisma and you could tell that they were having a lot of fun bringing these gruesome tales to life. I especially loved the twist with the audience member who transformed from terrified bystander to epic badass in the blink of an eye, the subversive take on the story of the little red riding hood and the use of the creepy frog puppet during the princesses slumber.
Whilst the ensemble was very tight, there were moments when the performance felt a bit disjointed with some of the leads pulling too much focus. Similarly, there were moments the actors were too over the top whereas other actors’ performances were more subdued. However, overall the energetic nature of the performances steered the story to a place that one us over.
With more finessing, I can’t wait to see what Left of Right Theatre Company do next.
