Set in a seedy circus freakshow, The Girl Who Cannot Die is a perfect fit for the wooden boards and big top atmosphere of Spiegeltent’s second space Bosco.
The intimacy of the venue means there is nowhere to hide when the lights go up and the various white-faced performers introduce themselves throughout the course of the show.
But the focus is on the titular girl – better known as Brothers Grimm creation Snow White.
This take on her story goes back to the source material, with the only nod to the later Disneyfication of the tale found in the puppet of the Wicked Queen when she takes the form of a horrible hag.
The show asks what might have happened to Snow White should her Prince Charming have not happened upon her. Along the way the tortures she was subjected to by her wicked stepmother are revisited – with poisoned tortoiseshell combs and constricting corsets added to the infamous apple.
The cast give an enthusiastic and energetic performance jumping between puppetry, live music and physicality.
The seven dwarfs are a highlight with the ingenious use of seven xylophone blocks, but despite the familiarity of the story there are moments where the cast seem to lose the audience – particularly when the circus show performers tell their own tales.
Three stars
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