It’s panto season! And before you say “oh no it isn’t”, let me present my evidence. Namely that Roo and I just went to our first panto of the year, which was Chickenshed’s version of “Little Red Riding Hood”. Being Chickenshed, there’s obviously a few twists on the classic tale but I’m going to be light on the spoilers as it’s so early in the season.
Roo does seem to be a bit cursed when it comes to the Piccadilly Line – we’ve had troubles on the way to the Shed before and this time we just missed a train at Finsbury Park before waiting a full eight minutes for the next one. Then as soon as we squeezed in, we were told that the train was being held until further notice. I’ve already tangoed with the Victoria Line being suspended this week so had a creeping sense of deja vu dread. Luckily it was resolved fairly quickly and we were soon at Southgate. The ticket barriers are all Burger King-branded and I have to say, advertising works. I mean, we’d already decided that’s where we were going to dine but the advertising certainly helped.
Roo’s curse continued, with a narrow miss of a 298 bus, with no more 298s or 299s on the horizon. We decided to take a punt on a 125 or 382 to get us halfway up Chase Side and then walk the rest. It’s not a route I would choose with VK but with the fast walker, it worked just fine. We arrived in plenty of time and invigorated by the brisk stroll.
So, onto the show! The basic story of “Red Riding Hood” is still there but the quite slight fairytale is fleshed out a lot, with a framing device of The Guardians and the Amulets. The Guardians are celestial beings who watch over the humans and are trying to track the missing amulet that will restore balance in the universe. One amulet ends up around the neck of a Guardian-offspring by the name of Red as she’s on her way to see her Grandma and…you get the idea.
There are five different casts of young people, including the child leads, and we were watching the red cast so I believe we saw Eva Marriott as the titular Red, while Jacob Gee and Seren Gee played her siblings Alex and Sam. The adult leads were played by some of the Chickenshed mainstays such as Michael Bossisse (Wolf), Cara McInanny (Grandma) and Ashley Driver (Woodcutter). The rotating casts have around 150 people in each so, as with previous Chickenshed productions, there is often a very full stage and lots to look at. And there are BSL signers integrated into the show as well, as you’d expect from a theatre so devoted to accessibility.
Every year, the production values at the Shed seem to get more and more impressive. This show starts off with a very stark set but a curtain opening reveals the village of Vargheim, complete with buildings, bridges and mountains. And in case you’re wondering, Vargheim loosely translates to “Wolf Home”….or that’s what Reuben and I figured out, using our joint knowledge of Norse mythology and German. Don’t come for me if I’ve got that wrong. There was also a train carriage set and the wolf’s lair for different scenes before the next big reveal – a Gatsby-like mansion belonging to…well, you’ll have to watch the show to find out. It’s always amazing what they achieve onstage and the bar seems to be raised all the time. I can’t wait to see what they come up with for Christmas 2026.
But you don’t come to Chickenshed for the production values alone. What sets their productions apart is the heart that goes into the stories, and the relationships between the characters. This is no exception – although Red starts off as an angry teen, she goes on quite a journey of self-discovery and learns to appreciate the family around her. The wolf is a complex character – not quite man, not quite beast – and he too goes on something of an emotional journey. There are themes of the evils of capitalism (complete with an audience participation song), mob mentality and acceptance. Along the way there are many twists and turns and some great gags – like when the mob decide that hunting the wolf sounds a bit much too effort so they just shout some angry things and go home.
As ever, there are some powerful singers among the cast – Cara McInnany is as impressive as ever – and some new young voices are spotlighted, along with the more established performers. I don’t think I’ve seen Eva Marriott in any lead roles before but her voice was assured and carried well right the way across the audience. There’s some intricate harmony and some nice solos from even the youngest cast members. Chickenshed is always developing new talent and this is a good example of that – I mentioned this in my “Pan” review but the adult performers literally take the younger ones by the hand and show them how to carry the show. It’s this kind of investment in the future that really shows the valuable work Chickenshed does.
There are also some impressive dance routines – notably at the mansion, to a song I think was called “Mula La”. Costuming is used to great effect, as the socialites all sparkle in black sequins, which contrast with the homely brown tweed of the villagers. It’s especially effective when everyone is moving at once. The lighting is also well used, most memorably in a stargazing scene on the mountain, and special mention must go to the live band at the top of the stage, who are occasionally revealed at different points through the show. There’s a lot of music in this show and they were note perfect throughout.
The plot zips by fairly quickly – I think it’s 120 minutes in total and there’s an interval. As Reuben pointed out, there did need to be some fleshing out of the original story but he thought the amulets plot added some real depth to it. He’s a fan of the “mystical treasure hunt” plot device and, although you wouldn’t expect it in “Little Red Riding Hood”, it did work well.
The age recommendation is 5+ and that seems about right to me. The length would be challenging for the very little ones and there are some intense moments, especially when the wolf first appears. The children in front of us were around six to eight and they all seemed to cope well with the peril but it’s worth bearing in mind that the wolf probably would scare a very sensitive child. I didn’t check whether the nearly-adult was scared but I think he was alright.
So if you’re looking for a show with a lot of heart and a fair sprinkling of Christmas magic, “Red” might just be for you. After all, who’s afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?
“Red” runs until 10th January. For tickets and more info, click here
Disclaimer: I received free tickets in exchange for a review. All opinions remain honest and my own.
