Impressive, unique staging with room to tease out more from the characters and plot.
Presented by: Windmill Theatre Company and Sandpit Productions
Reviewed: 4 March, 2023
The Queen’s Theatre was treated to the world premiere of Hans & Gret as part of the 2023 Adelaide Festival program.
The impressive staging hosted a contemporary retelling of the fairytale Hansel and Gretel, along with nods to other stories from the genre. At the centre of the room was a box house walled with a two-way mirror. The structure is a remarkable concept with many inbuilt layers that adapt in a visually stunning manner as the change in scenes arrived.
The overall plot intertwined siblings, Gret (Temeka Lawlor) and Hans (Dylan Miller), wanting to step away from their embarrassing and at times overbearing parents (Jo Stone and Jim Smith) in a futuristic world where their perfect, identical homes were what keep them safe from the hunger and unsafety of the world outside their walls. The desire for youth and difference lead them to seek help from a charismatic, fourth wall-breaking charlatan (the Witch played by Gareth Davies).
There were so many themes, social critique, satirical concepts, and more crammed into the production (and even directly stated) that could have been spaced for breath and individual audience interpretation. There was one particular scene between Gret and Witch where the characters were given moments of depth away from at times excessive trope-based humour and punchlines. It was in this scene that Lawlor’s and Davies’ interpretations of the roles stood out and demonstrated more dimension and insight into their characters. After that scene it felt like those styles of moments were missing from some of the other key characters, and there was less chance to sympathise for the other characters and their motives.
Hans & Gret had layered immersive elements to draw the audience in, including individual headsets that use a quick survey to personalise the experience. While fun and a good way to find out who’s up for audience participation, the additional technological layers felt gimmicky at times and not entirely necessary when compared to the remarkable artistry in staging and lighting production.
Hans & Gret was written by Lally Katz, directed by Clare Watson, and also featured Emily Liu, Antoine Jelk, Crissie Page, May Sim, Georgia Polischko, Zara Blight, Stella Byrne, and Chloe Dowd. It was a quick show with many interesting and unique aspects that tease at what might come from later iterations of the production.
Reviewed by Alex Dunkin
Photo Credit: Claudio Raschella
Venue: Queen’s Theatre, Adelaide
Season: 3-12 March, 2023
Duration: 1 hr 15 mins
Tickets: From $35
Bookings: https://www.adelaidefestival.com.au/events/hans-gret/
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