ED2015 2/5 Reviews ED2015 Theatre Reviews

Fourth Monkey’s Grim Tales – Hansel And Gretel

By Megan Wallace | Published on Monday 31 August 2015

Fourth Monkey made waves last year with their disturbing production of ‘Alice’ and this year headed to the Scottish Capital with their first themed season for the Fringe: four “dark fairy tales”. This play offers some interesting stylistic devices, and by taking the theatrical ideologies of the avant-garde playwright Antonin Artaud (whose story is told parallel to that of ‘Hansel and Gretel’) Fourth Monkey’s telling of ‘Hansel and Gretel’ is incredibly abstract, rejecting speech in favour of sounds. To be frank, though, the glib and unfeeling way with which Fourth Monkey has treated the themes of sexual abuse and paedophilia is completely unacceptable. This is definitely not suitable or enjoyable for families, and the play promises to offend from the outset.

theSpace on Niddry Street, until 29 Aug,
tw rating 2/5 | [Megan Wallace]