Review: The Little Matchgirl and Other Happier Tales, Bristol Old Vic

Written and co-adapted by Emma Rice, this fantastical Bristol Old Vic / Shakespeare’s Globe co-production aspires to be more than an easy-going family Christmas celebration.

The show’s subtitle … and Other Happier Tales is the first indicator that the tale of the titular homeless Matchgirl packs an emotional punch. As she wanders the streets of an unknown city trying to sell matches, the girl stumbles upon a grotesque troupe of storytellers known as the Shuteyes, who spin three other Hans Christian Andersen stories for her to enjoy.

All pics: Steve Tanner

From lights up, it’s the show’s design that is immediately striking and stunning, mixing the urban with the fairy tale to create a strange blend of the two that works remarkably well. On one side of the stage stands a tall, imposing scaffold, under which a raggedly dressed and beaten-up folk band play catchy and clever tunes. On the other, a rotating picture frame reveals first a palace, then an impressive landscape, evoking beautiful settings for each of the tales told.

But the technical star of the show is without a doubt the Little Matchgirl herself, a puppet with remarkably lifelike and friendly features, moved about the stage with deft skill and fluidity by puppeteer Edie Edmundson. As the Shuteyes delve into darker territory, the girl is a constant curious presence, even moving in to engage with the action first hand at key points in each narrative. For children and adults alike, she’s bewitching to watch.

This level of consistency doesn’t always carry over to the rest of the show. At times the various stories can feel like a cluttered mishmash of different ideas and energy levels, though they always remain engaging and lively. The opening tale of ‘Thumbelina’ is perhaps the most prominent example of this, throwing new concepts such as two levels of scale, a confusing ‘war’ setting and some surprisingly disturbing moments into an already long and epic tale.

The storytelling in the latter half takes a different and more enjoyable direction, with the wonderfully amusing ‘Emperor’s New Clothes’ and the brief, bittersweet ‘Princess and the Pea’. Troupe Leader Ole Shuteye comes into his own as the narcissistic and fashion-obsessed Emperor, building to a moment of reveal that has the children in the audience audibly spellbound.

Throughout the entire show, Niall Ashdown’s Ole holds a wonderful rapport with the audience and with the little puppet girl on stage, delivering amusing asides with an engaging glee.

From the rest of the ensemble cast, Katy Owen particularly stands out for her remarkable energy and engagement, delivering a defiant Thumbelina and a hilarious Trickster. Often, though, it feels as though each of the cast were pitching for different shows or audiences, a challenge often faced in this kind of family theatre which seeks to draw in both older and younger crowds.

Indeed, the show might well prompt a discussion of whether it is aimed at children at all, and families might want to prepare themselves for the difficult themes and issues raised within. This is as much experimental, provocative theatre as Christmas fairytale, and there are moments in the show that might give even the adults pause to look away, or find themselves unexpectedly in tears.

But as Emma Rice so aptly puts it herself, ‘we want to think of others at Christmas’, and in this sense of Christmas spirit, the Little Matchgirl is the perfect complement to its merrier side. While the show doesn’t always hit the mark in bringing its various strange ideas together, the ideas themselves are so charming and so important that the journey is well worth it.

The Little Matchgirl and Other Happier Tales continues at Bristol Old Vic until Sunday, January 14. For more info and to book tickets, visit www.bristololdvic.org.uk/the-little-matchgirl.html

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