Philip Pullman Grimm Tales for the Young and Old: An Immersive Fairy Tale

Any readers who live in England/will be travelling to the UK this spring? There's a unique fairy tale play going on, Philip Pullman's Grimm Tales for the Young and Old: An Immersive Fairy Tale, adapted and directed by Philip Wilson.

The official description:

"This winter, Philip Pullman’s compelling Grimm Tales return in a brand new immersive storytelling experience that will plunge adults and children alike into the subversive world of the Brothers Grimm.

"An enticingly foreboding shadow is descending over the sprawling Bargehouse, Oxo Tower Wharf on London’s South Bank. Here, these delightfully twisted tales, lovingly crafted and theatrically reimagined, will be brought to life before your very eyes.

"Do you dare experience these infamous fairy tales, no longer bound to their pages but trailing your footsteps, breathing softly down your neck and unravelling in wonder before your eyes? From The Frog King to Hansel & Gretel, you’ll encounter some unforgettable characters from Philip Pullman’s book, in a deliciously dark winter experience full of unexpected twists and turns."

And in Philip Pullman's own words:
"When I saw this team’s previous production at Shoreditch Town Hall, I was thrilled with the vividness and fidelity with which they’d carried the tales from the page to the performance space. Imagination, wit, a mastery of all the theatrical possibilities of lighting and costume and make-up and the simple magic of transformation all combined in an experience that was a joy to encounter. I’m sure the venerable Brothers Grimm themselves, if they could see it, would be as delighted as I was."

Reviewers seem overall very impressed with the play, especially the format. Instead of an audience sitting in chairs in an auditorium, they follow the characters through a large warehouse with different sections set up as each fairy tale. Props to the creators of this play for not only staying faithful to the Grimm fairy tales, but introducing audiences to lesser known tales, such as "Faithful Johannes" and "The Three Little Men in the Woods" (which seems to be the audience favorite).

For more reviews, you can read Gaby Woods' at the Telegraph or on The Awkward Blog, the source of all the pictures here