A grown-up fairytale covering incest, disfigurement and never-ending misery, ‘Maiden: A Recycled Fairy Tale’ is certainly not a cozy, cheerful tale. It’s an engaging story, simply told, and the narrator’s relaxed interjections are a nice touch. The staging is basic but effective, despite some unnecessary live music and dance scenes, which interrupted the flow of the piece. The actors do a great job of making the cruel, unlikeable characters sympathetic, and manage to portray childish innocence without resorting to caricature. The narrative, however, is almost unrelentingly bleak, with violence and deaths stacking up like a ‘Game Of Thrones’ finale. Based on a Portuguese fairytale, there are no beautiful princesses, no heroes and no happily-ever-afters in this grim tale.

Greenside @ Nicolson Square, until 29 Aug.
tw rating 3/5