Hood!

There has never been a more inventive retelling of ‘Little Red Riding Hood’. What Peculius Stage have brought to the Fringe this year defies all narrative conventions, and the brilliance with which they bring director Callum Cheatle’s vision to life is inspiring.
Right from the get go – even as the audience arrives – all actors are on stage in what can only be described as a metal and fabric wilderness. They are not still, but in a constant state of animal agitation: screaming, uttering weird guttural noises and moving disjointedly. These unusual, unsettling characters are perhaps best described (if a description is ever possible) as escapees from a prehistoric asylum. Sounds weird? It certainly is. It’s also scary and funny at the same time.
The actors reinterpret the fairytale with a minimum of props, constantly jumping from the tale’s characters to their ‘natural’ animal-like forms. If that isn’t enough, they also play all the appliances in Little Red Riding Hood’s grandmother’s flat. It needs to be seen to be believed.
All of the cast members are equally mesmerising, though special mention should go to Olivia Stuart-Taylor and Tom Dockar-Drysdale for their powerful presence throughout the whole performance. In saying that, highlighting just these two seems unfair to the rest of equally talented actors, since it is their teamwork that truly makes this play what it is.
Hood! deserves repeated viewing, and even if you might be somewhat taken aback initially, just go with the experience and you’ll find it an incredibly enjoyable and unforgettable one.

5/5

Adrian G. Velazquez