From ‘The Wrong Crowd’ theatre company comes ‘The Girl With The Iron Claws‘ which runs at the Soho Theatre until Saturday 5 May.
‘The Girl With The Iron Claws’ saw its debut at last year’s Edinburgh Festival, and is a dark tale inspired by the Nordic version of our own Beauty & The Beast (which itself possibly dates back to the 2nd century with Apuleius’s story about Cupid and Psyche). One of the king’s daughters is whisked away by a huge bear who takes her to his own castle with the strict admonishment that she must never look at him after dark. Despite this impediment she manages to give him three daughters, but of course cannot resist the temptation to look upon his sleeping naked form. When she is discovered a mad chase across the forest ensues, punctuated by visits to three cottages along the way, which ends in an encounter with a horrifying apparition…
Arran Glass as 'Blacksmith' - photo by Patrick Baldwin
Despite being up in the rafters of the Soho Theatre (a small studio accommodating an audience of about 100) the four members of ‘The Wrong Crowd’ make the best use of the limited space to draw out the story by the use of some delightful little puppets, ingenious lighting and sound effects and some starkly terrifying large heads, hands and haunches, plus a song or two. It’s a fantastical and mesmerising experience watching the tale unfold, and its been expertly written – a bubbling melting pot of dark and sinister motives, laughter and charm. I was captivated throughout.
I highly recommend a visit to the show – you can find tickets for the performances online here.
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