Princess continues at the Lost Theatre, London until 19 November.
Star rating: four stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ✩
Who has not dreamed of being a princess, in their own fairy story? Well, after watching Stuart Saint’s Princess – The Good Girls Gone Bad, I can imagine there could be a resurgence.
Set in an alternative 1980s synth pop reality, the scene is immediately set for this genre-defying interdisciplinary work by five TVs, a large screen above the stage, a cuddly rabbit… and a very innocent young Princess (Jennie Dickie). This fairly calm serenity is quickly shattered by the ‘dark side’ characters, including a giant rabbit that introduce our protagonist to delicious delights and nightmares, changing her preception of the world forever.
Stuart Saint is an absolute force to be reckoned with: writing, directing, choreographing and producing Princess. With elements of almost every style of movement, not to mention a very original concept for a show, the very skilled dancers in Princess have free rein to show just what incredible performers they are (most notably Helen Scott). This is acheived with very minimal sets and props, which is very refreshing. The costumes also very much complement the strength of the performer, rather than being gimmicky or there for effect, another touch of careful consideration from Saint.
The corruption and seduction of the Princess by The Rabbit is played very commandingly by Morgan Scott, who has a strong physicality and is a joy to watch on the stage. I wanted the chemistry between the pair to be sizzling and sensual, but it still felt like the Princess had not quite yet been seduced by this perfect fantasy of the perfect male, a combination of security and danger. The fire and ice atmosphere that surrounds the pair is effective though, in that it is relatable, with opposites very often attracting.
It is so important to break boundaries with theatre and Princess is a prime example of when this is done successfully. It is testament to the show that I wanted to see more of this good girl and how bad she had really become. The solidarity felt in the climax to Princess does not fully reveal this, but it is a work that is bold, intruiging and instead reveals endless possibilities in Saint’s alternative princess world.
Francesca Mepham
SHARE THIS POST:
Comments are closed.