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Show: Hex
Society: National Theatre (professional)
Venue: Olivier theatre. National Theatre, Upper Ground, London SE1 9PX
Credits: A new musical based on Sleeping Beauty, book by Tanya Ronder, music by Jim Fortune and lyrics by Rufus Norris
Type: Sardines
Author: Caroline Jenner
Performance Date: 06/12/2022
Hex
Caroline Jenner | 07 Dec 2022 16:46pm
Rosie Graham (Princess Rose, centre) and Ensemble in Hex at the National Theatre. Photo: Johan Persson
Hex tells the tale of Sleeping Beauty, not as we know it in the traditional sense, but from the perspective of the evil fairy, who in this retelling is more miscalculating than evil. Summoned to the palace to make the six-month-old Princess sleep, she ends up hexing the baby in a moment of rage. Now without magic and feeling guilty she decides she must try to make amends for her mistake, using whatever means necessary.
Hex has all the potential for great theatre. Aesthetically stunning it is an incredible showpiece for designer Katrina Lindsay. A breathtaking gothic style castle hovers backstage, to eventually glide forward and spin, revealing Sleeping Beauty’s bed. An assortment of spindles frame the stage, a reminder of the original tale, although there are no spinning wheels involved in this retelling. However, beautifully lit by Paul Anderson, they create magical stage pictures. In fact the lighting is spectacular throughout, especially the long, dark table as it is being prepared for the ogress human banquets and the wonderful shimmering shapes that appear on the floating High Fairies, who drop in sporadically to offer ‘blesses’ to those beneath them and ridicule Low Fairy with sneering disapproval.
Katrina Lindsay is also responsible for the magnificent costumes, a wonderful pot-pourri of bizarre and fanciful outfits. From the diaphanous floating High Fairies to the grungy petticoated Low Fairy we are treated to a spectacle that combines elegance alongside priapic humour. Jade Hackett’s choreography is also worthy of mention. The Thorns and the Princes entertain us with slick numbers that liven up the show and add pace.
So what is it about Hex that just doesn’t seem to work and leaves the audience feeling a little underwhelmed. Perhaps the fact that this visual feast masks a slightly laboured production; whimsical quirkiness only engages so far. The piece moves from joyful humour to dark moments on the spin of a coin. What is the message Rufus Norris and Tanya Ronder are trying to put across: The pursuit of happiness? Acceptance of our true nature? The importance of motherhood? These questions bubble under the surface enough to be asked, but are never really explored. Lyrics too frequently appear trite, with rhyming shoehorned in as we hear Rose dreaming of bouncing out of the castle at ‘sixteen’ on a ‘trampoline’, apart from the closing number of Act One, ‘Hello’, a well written number that manages to express the tentative nervousness of young love with humour and charm, the songs are not particularly memorable.
Lisa Lambe as Fairy stomps her way around the stage, belting out the songs and her punky, lovable character holds the rather disparate storyline together. The audience warms to her as she suffers at the hands of almost everyone she comes across and sympathises with her dilemma when, having lost her magic, she tries to help Queenie come to terms with motherhood. Rosie Graham as Rose does her best with a character who would benefit from being developed a little more. The sleepless child grows into an adventurous teenager and devoted mother so quickly we never really get to know her properly.
Victoria Hamilton-Barrit, puts in a great performance as the schizophrenic ogress who can’t stop thinking about eating her son and grandchildren, but it is Michael Elcock who steals the show. The performance lifts each time he strides across the stage with his fearlessly courageous, which is quickly undermined by his nervousness when faced with a beautiful princess and his anguish is heartbreakingly clear when trying to balance his love for his mother against his princess and children.
Rupert Norris has created a bold extravaganza, but it is doesn’t quite know what it is supposed to be. Is it darkly menacing with serious themes, in which case why advertise its suitability for children from 8 years and over? The darkness sits uncomfortably alongside the lighter moments, such as when the jealous prince rounds up Rose’s would be suitors, lassoing them cowboy style, or the saucy thorns amuse themselves with pricking the hopeful suitors with their priapic spikes. Despite all this there are laugh out loud moments, brilliant choreography, a set that sparkles with imaginative creativity and some knock out performances which manage to lift a slightly disappointing production a little closer to the magic it is aiming for.