This company of young actors works with real energy and flair to present a satisfyingly twisted take on the fairy tale Bluebeard. The utilisation of a range of incredible lo-fi visual effects, all operated by the actors themselves, makes the piece reminiscent of Forkbeard Fantasy at their very best and creates a palpable atmosphere of play and experimentation. An overhead projector is used to produce a range of stunning images, a bicycle contraption powers a flickering bulb to light key scenes, and sound effects from live instruments, voices and an old record player add tension. The company display impeccable ensemble timing, handling the sometimes complex demands of the staging very well and achieving a consistently engaging tongue-in-cheek cabaret style, maintained even in scene changes.
The narrative is strongly communicated and develops well as the piece progresses; we witness in grisly detail the highly sexual wooing and inevitable murder of a range of Bluebeard’s wives. The world in which these actions occur is well constructed, creating powerful images that linger (Bluebeard’s third wife discovering his murderous chamber and frantically trying to conceal it is beautifully symbolised by her writhing in thick honey which she struggles to remove from herself as Bluebeard returns). Heightened characterisation is employed to great effect, and although the culmination of the action feels like it might benefit from some development, Bluebeard overall is an impressively imaginative and exciting piece of devised theatre executed with admirable skill.