David Shields’ remarkable design work is some of the best the Landor has ever seen, an all-encompassing vision that properly transforms the theatre and transports the audience to a different, magical, place. Cleverly conceived and carefully constructed, its various pieces work…well…like clockwork. And this ambition is matched in the scope of the writing and the score, combining the epic with the intimate, the emotional with the entertaining, the folkloric with the universal in what emerges as a deeply moving tale.
It works so well because Webborn and Finn capture so much of what makes a fairytale tick, whilst also adding its own comic spin to elevate it. So Jo Wickham’s should-be grotesque Ma’Riley is actually hilarious whilst being horrific (the bit with the mixed-up names is still making me chuckle now); and Constance’s first journey into the real world is highly amusing as she slowly becomes accustomed to human habits but Jennifer Harding ensures we’re always laughing with and not at her in what is an awesomely impressive performance. And because it is funny, it becomes charming. And because it becomes charming, it also ends up heartbreaking.