In this new play written by Beatriz Santos, several of Grimm’s fairy tales – in particular the stories of Hansel and Gretel, Little Red Riding Hood and Rapunzel – are woven together to create a sinister, twisted story that brought the darkness of the fairy-tale forest to life. Some elements of the play were weaker than others, specifically the Rapunzel motif, which was less well integrated into the overall story that the other tales. On the whole though, it was an interesting and impressive piece of new writing, with clever references to other fairy stories beyond the three key tales, and fun allusions to well-known literary theory surrounding Grimm’s fairy tales.

The play was mainly written in poetry to evoke the language of nursery rhymes, but unfortunately the actors, many of whom were making their Cambridge theatrical debut, struggled with the the densely-written script – which to be fair would have challenged seasoned veterans of the stage. The one exception was Tom Ashton as the predatory Wolf, who was, to quote a friend, ‘deliciously creepy’ as he prowled around the stage. Although The Forest Grimm was only his second play in Cambridge, Ashton gave a truly stunning performance, seeming to relish every word of the complex script and perfectly evoking the character of the wolf with brilliantly expressive mime. Anyone who goes to a lot of plays in Cambridge gets used to seeing the same old faces on stage, and it was a treat to watch such a charismatic new performer.

Clare Cellars, with its low brick arches, formed a lovely background to the action, with the idea of a forest suggested through subtle scenery – green fairy lights wound around columns, and ivy seeming to grow from the ceiling. The costumes were also good, with the possible exception of Rapuzel’s lime green hair. On the whole, this play was an interesting new experiment, performed with enthusiasm and conviction, but many of the ideas never quite seemed to come to full fruition. With some rewriting of the script and a more experienced cast though, it could have been something quite extraordinary, and I look forward to more work by Santos, and more performances by Ashton, in the future.