RED RIDING HOOD. Two-Act Comedy. Directed by Faeron Wheeler. Assisted by Savannah Steyn. Musical Directors Clare Thomson, Linley Meavers. Choreographer Shaun Klaasen. At The Masque Theatre, Cape Town. Until 22 December. 8-12 January 2025. SHEILA CHISHOLM awards the evenings laurels to Matthew dos Santos as Wolf King and Hayden Steyn as Wolf Jim for their ‘rubber-legs’ and remarkable energy in these roles.
Red Riding Hood, the folk-tale about a young girl meeting a sly wolf in the woods, became widely known when, in 1697, French writer, Charles Perrault’s, published his fairy-tale collection.
For centuries Perrault’s story remained every child’s favourite bed-time story.
Then in, 1812, Brothers Grimm’s account hit the bookshops. This offered kiddies an opportunity to hear and learn that the same adventure can be acceptable when presented in a different way.
A loopy chronicle
At The Masque Theatre, yet another Red Riding Hood account hit the boards. Written/directed by Faeron Wheeler, assisted by Savannah Steyn, this loopy chronicle, weaves popular music through this well-known tale, which, in this instance, takes a most unconventional route.
Here, Red Riding Hood does meet Big Bad Wolf in the forest. He does trick her into believing his Big Eyes, Big Ears and Big Teeth are Grandma’s. But there is a great deal more depth to this interpretation than usual.
That’s because, through musical directors Claire Thomson and Linley Meavers song selection, Shaun Klaasen’s appropriate choreography, linked to the spirited, top-notch triple threat performances from the entire cast, Wheeler’s witty script, subtly highlights the importance of trust, friendship, loyalty, rightness, fairness, modern values versus traditional ones, and parental control versus young persons’ claim for their independence.
Dynamic Grandma
Backed by charming interchangeable sets, Red Riding Hood opened with a dynamic Grandma (Nawaal Adams) singing R.E.M.’s Shiny Happy People.
Villagers, expressionless faces tying in with hum-drum body language, provided a perfect example of the negative impact constant use of electronic equipment has on our lives.
While Patricia (Leyya Haarhoff) kept marvelously deadpan, and Wayne Ronné crashed about snapping everything imaginable in sight, Villagers mimicked the endless chatting/sending WhatsApp messages, which today have, unfortunately, become a way of life.
Red Riding Hood known as Red (Qoindèa Avril Makansi) is up against her authoritarian father (Ethan Wilton). As mayor of a 17th century village he is determined to marry her off to charismatic Prince Jeremiah (Andrew Munnik). She has other plans.
When Red realizes her timorous new-found wolf friend Lykana (Tithonia Roux), is in a similar position with her bully-boy father King Wolf (Matthew dos Santos), they decide to run away to the forest to Red’s Grandma’s cottage.
And so, through the songs of Michael Jackson, Queen, Elton John, Descendants, Jennifer Lopez and others as well as Klaasen’s dances the audience laughed their way through two-acts of fun, marred only by sound problems, which hopefully will be resolved.
What: Red Riding Hood review
Where: The Masque Theatre, Muizenberg, Cape Town
When: Until 22 December 2024, 8 to 12 January 2025
Booking: Quicket. Programming available at the theatre
WS
