The set was a forest, the trees looked quite substantial despite growing only as far as two thirds of their trunks with no foliage or branches, until one was knocked over very easily right at the start and ruined our illusion! It was also a mistake to try and put the tree back up again by a very visible SM person!
The authentic traditional Norwegian dress however was a nice touch, but perhaps not appreciated by most, since their costumes are almost indistinguishable from many other Scandinavian and central European costumes.
The story, inasmuch as I was able to understand it, followed a 12 year old girl (who looked nothing like a 12 yar old girl!) called Solveig , ignoring the protestations from her father, travelling deep into the woods to rescue her errant cow, and coming into contact with the malevolent and weird creatures who inhabit it. Among these were a pair of scittery mice, Espen (a hero?!), The Guardian - an evil but beautiful witch who sometimes appears as a translucent horse, an old woman (with her face stuck to a tree), and a couple of idiotic trolls.
You might think that with such a list, this would be a knock-about comedy with lots of physicality to entertain the youngsters, but sadly that was not the case. This was a moody and atmospheric tale with little to break the thoughtful and deliberate narrative and slow pace. The mice tried to liven things up, but didn't; and the fourth wall was broken only by the old woman and no-one else, which was a very odd set-up indeed.
I was uncertain what the individual roles were and indeed, how they all fit together a as whole. It seemed very disjointed. Not to mention the fact that at the end of the story (spoiler alert!) Solveig turns into a princess and decides to stay in the forest and rule.
The songs did little or nothing to lighten the atmosphere either, except perhaps for, 'I'm Not The Father". The whole lacked pace and dynamic changes, despite it being sincerely told.
Without a programme I am at a loss to give any further analysis, and the play ran at 75 minutes without interval. I would have very much loved to have watched this performance with a room full of their target audience, as I was more than curious to see how they would have reacted to it. Sadly, as a middle-aged critic, I did not react very favourably at all. Think Tim Burton mixed with Sondheim's Into the Woods, and quite a bit of the original Brothers Grimm stories (before bastardisation), and you will get some kind of an idea.
Reviewer - Alastair Zyggu
on - 29.5.26
