RED - Bells & Ringing Hysteria

Writer/performer Sebastian Samur, his tall black clad form, long fingered bare hands, long toed bare feet (all the better to play the wolf with, my dears) is a joy to watch as he tears into his silly new take on Little Red Riding-hood armed only with a screen/some projections, a few inspired music choices, and a red blanket.

He switches back and forth between sections where Little Red tells the story, sections that belong to the Wolf  (Big Bad) - who occasionally has to deal with a pushy narrator (in one of the best scenes he forces the Wolf to don a disgusting item of clothing – to say more would spoil it), and finally scenes where the audience can control who tells the story, by means of a bell, 10 bells to be more accurate, and there lies the rub.

Three symbols can appear on the screen Samur uses for his setting projections, Little Red, the Wolf, and the bell. When the bell appears, one of the audience members with a bell can ring it and “force” Samur to switch characters.

Firstly people – please wait for the bell symbol! OK? He explains it to you, bell symbol – yes you can ring, Wolf or Little Red – shut up! I’d also urge restraint in its use. There may be times it’s funny to force Samur to switch back and forth like lightning, but it might be better to catch him at awkward moments and force the switch, no? No… ten people, or more as anyone without a bell can use their neighbour’s, don’t think about restraint they think – Me! No me! I want to make him dance!
(One bell that must be passed when rung might work better, no?)

This show is at it’s best generally in the non-bell scenes, the Wolf in front of his mirror, Little Red baking muffins, the Wolf and Grandma, are all hugely fun and funny displaying Samur’s instincts for killer lines and physical comedy to best effect.

The mayhem of the bells only really comes into its own during a climactic battle between Wolf and Little Red. (Here Samur could simply have been switching at will as there was so much ringing hysteria – but here mayhem is exactly what we want, it makes the audience a part of Samur’s neat twist.)

But bells or no bells, if Samur’s Little Red seems occasionally underdeveloped, this twisted take and his magnificent Wolf more than succeed in pushing Red over the edge, exactly where this play lives best.

You’ll laugh, you’ll laugh some more, you’ll probably ring the damn bell… enjoy!