Like the best adaptations of fairy stories, Rumpelstiltskin works on more than one level. Yes, it gets down with the kids. There’s a simplistic plot, lots of jolly songs, a poor, downtrodden heroine, a bit of panto-esque interaction with the audience and even a flurry of balloons launched from the stage.
But there’s also plenty here for adults to enjoy and chew upon. The songs are full of witty one-liners and the underlying theme is so steadfastly feminist that it wouldn’t be surprising to learn that it had been re-written by the Sisters Grimm.
In fact, the script and lyrics came from one Matt Harvey and the score from Thomas Hewitt Jones. This adaptation of a tale with roots that long preceded even the Brothers Grimm was done originally for the Theatre Royal in Bath.
The Criterion is the first amateur company to take it on, and three star stalwarts move centre-stage. Sean Glock struts around as the vain and venal king before having to adapt his performance somewhat as events conspire against him. Lucy Hayton takes on the title role, not as a humped and rumpled old man but with the swagger of a particularly sinister pantomime prince.
And Nicol Cortese gives us a splendid portrayal of a bright and feisty woman forced by circumstances to live off her wits and take the best of what’s on offer. Her portrayal of Emily, the miller’s daughter, is something of a tour de force. In a particularly enjoyable two-hander with Glock, she stands, hands on hips, and calmly tells the king: “Marry me or kill me. Your choice.”
I’m not giving any secrets away in revealing that he chooses the former. As a result, workers’ wages rise and social justice prevails. This is a fairy story, remember.
The fourth member of the cast is Ed Young, who plays the miller. His first performance for the Criterion suggests that he has had much experience elsewhere and his face, best described as “lived-in”, is ideal for a daft Dad with a hip-flask habit and a loose tongue as a consequence.
The performances have pace and subtlety under the direction of Richard Warren and Deb Relton-Elves. And the same could be said of the background score from a band tucked away on the side of the stage under the direction of Bill Bosworth.
The music captures the mood as this re-telling of an ancient tale veers not just from lightness to dark but through several levels in between.
Rumpelstiltskin is at the Criterion until Saturday, December 10 when there is a matinee at 2:30 as well as an evening performance at 7:30.