Edinburgh Fringe Review: The Grandmothers Grimm
Paradise in The Vault ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
A macabre mix of werewolves, cannibalism, fairies and fair maidens (with the odd pig prince thrown in for good measure) all conspire to make The Grandmothers Grimm one of the most entertaining hours on this year’s Fringe.
Delivered by a four-strong ensemble, this is storytelling at its finest. However, amid the laughs and the gasps, something far more insidious is emerging, as Marie Hassenpflug begins to realise as she shares the ‘old stories’ of her region with the renowned collectors of fairytales, the Bothers Grimm.
The bickering brothers, Wilhelm and Jacob, are gathering stories for their anthology of Germanic fairytales; one with an eye on retaining their authenticity, the other, focussing on their commercial potential.
There is one thing that they do appear to agree, however. As they edit out the darkness and blood lust from the tales, so too they diminish and ultimately expunge from ‘their’ work the voices of the female story-tellers.
Penned by Emily Ingram, who also co-directs and plays Marie Mueller, the Grimm’s housekeeper, the piece deftly explores the role women played in the creation of the Brothers’ famous fairy-tale anthology as well as examining the nature of the female characters that finally made it onto the page.
As each story is transcribed it is inventively brought to life on stage, being edited along the way as the Brothers clash over their differing visions.
If that all sounds a bit heavy, delivered by this talented quartet it is anything but and laughter regularly fills the air whether due to Justin Skelton’s glorious performance, which sees him physically transform into the most repugnant of creatures, yet all the while still winning laughs and love from the audience.
Embodied by Sophie Harris, Marie Hassenpflug is more than a match for both Grimm’s as she challenges their working practices with all the heartfelt fury and passion of a visionary ahead of her time.
Co-director Gerry Kielty too is a consummate storyteller. As the afflicted Wilhelm, he is drives the narrative with an explosive turn, while Ingram’s Marie Mueller pops in and out of the action, while remaining the real puppet-master of the piece.
As an ensemble, Ingram, Harris, Kirsty and Skelton are untouchable, creating beautifully fluid, clever storytelling that rekindles the wonder and magic first experienced when hearing these bedtime tales as children.
Until August 19, 9.30pm
Credit: Líam Rudden Media