LondonTheatre1

London Theatre: Tickets Reviews | News | West End | Off-West End | UK Touring Productions

London Theatre Tickets
  • Home
  • Top Selling Shows
    • Musicals
    • & Juliet
    • Anything Goes
    • Back To The Future
    • Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club
    • Come From Away
    • Dear Evan Hansen
    • Dirty Dancing
    • Frozen The Musical
    • Heathers
    • Jersey Boys
    • Les Misérables
    • Mamma Mia
    • Mary Poppins
    • Matilda the Musical
    • My Fair Lady
    • Moulin Rouge
    • Only Fools and Horses
    • Pretty Woman the Musical
    • Six the Musical
    • The Book of Mormon
    • The Drifters Girl
    • The Lion King
    • The Phantom of the Opera
    • Tina the Musical
    • Wicked
    • Popular Plays in London
      • A Christmas Carol
      • Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
      • The Mousetrap
      • The Woman in Black
      • Witness for the Prosecution
    • London Theatres
      • Seating Plans
      • Adelphi Theatre
      • Ambassadors Theatre
      • Duke of York’s Theatre
      • Fortune Theatre
      • Harold Pinter Theatre
      • Lyceum Theatre
      • New Wimbledon Theatre
      • New Wimbledon Theatre Studio
      • Piccadilly Theatre
      • Richmond Theatre
      • Trafalgar Theatre
  • News
    • Interviews
  • Reviews
  • ATG Tickets
    • Alexandra Theatre
    • Aylesbury Waterside Theatre
    • Brighton Theatre Royal
    • Bristol Hippodrome
      • Bristol Theatre Seating Plan
    • Edinburgh Playhouse
    • Glasgow Theatre Royal
    • Grand Opera House York
    • King’s Theatre Glasgow
    • Kit Kat Club London
    • Leas Cliff Hall
    • Liverpool Empire
    • Manchester Opera House
    • Manchester Palace Theatre
    • Milton Keynes Theatre
    • New Theatre Oxford
    • New Victoria Theatre Woking
    • New Wimbledon Theatre
    • New Wimbledon Theatre Studio
    • Princess Theatre Torquay
    • Regent Theatre Stoke
    • Rhoda McGaw Theatre
    • Richmond Theatre
    • Stockton Globe
    • Sunderland Empire
    • Swansea Arena
    • Victoria Hall Hanley Stoke
  • Dancewear
  • Newsletter
Home » Reviews » Hans Christian Andersen at St Nicolas’ Church, Guildford

Hans Christian Andersen at St Nicolas’ Church, Guildford

October 19, 2021 Last updated: October 19, 2021 4:40 pm By Sally Knipe

I feel so comfortable here in this large airy Church, seating is socially distanced and face mask compliance is at a level that some large West End theatres would be looking at with envy. Tales from Hans Christian Andersen is obviously aimed at families and an early start time of 6.30pm has been arranged so bedtime is not too late.

GSC Tales from HCA 'Princess & the Pea' James Camp and Annabelle Terry (c) Matt Pereira.
GSC Tales from HCA ‘Princess & the Pea’ James Camp and Annabelle Terry (c) Matt Pereira.

The stories begin with The Little Match Girl, (Sara Hazemi) who is homeless and looking for somewhere warm and safe to spend the night. She takes refuge in a church and is disturbed by a man (James Camp) who comes in to mend a window broken in the storm. He becomes her companion for the rest of the evening and guides us through a series of stories that begin whenever a match is struck. Sara and James with the other cast members, Jonathan Oldfield, and Annabelle Terry between them play all the parts in the many tales told this evening. Some are very familiar: The Ugly Duckling, The Princess and the Pea, The Emperor’s New Clothes, Thumbelina, others are not so well known: The Puppet Showman and The Darning-Needle.

The whole cast seems to be loving performing in this production, it is ridiculously silly at times and the singing and visual comedy is brilliant. As each story unfolds I keep changing my mind about who the best singer, dancer and actor is. It is impossible to choose, each cast member takes a turn at being the best, although I do have to particularly praise Sara and Annabelle’s singing and Jonathan’s comedic acting.

The artistic team have done an amazing job with this production. They have to be very inventive to work in the performance spaces that GSC use, often in Churches or similar they have to devise everything to fit into these unique spaces. I particularly enjoyed the ducklings hatching and the pile of mattresses for the Princess to sleep on. Music is very important in this production and if anyone is the star it has to be Tom Jack Merivale, he has written the music and song lyrics for the production and he and writer Ant Stones have taken a collection of old stories and created magic. This is a delightful production, 100% fun. Thank goodness GSC are back.

5 Star Rating

Review by Sally Knipe

Tales from Hans Christian Andersen is a brand-new adaptation of some of the best-loved stories we have all grown up with, featuring an original score and songs. It weaves together seven tales, brought to life by 4 actors playing 42 characters.

Staged in the heart of Guildford in the Victorian St Nicolas’ Church, the show follows in the 5-star footsteps of Alice in Wonderland and Grimms’ Fairy Tales. The perfect family half-term treat!

TALES FROM HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN
16 Oct – 06 Nov
St Nicolas’ Church, Guildford
https://www.guildford-shakespeare-company.co.uk/

Dirty Dancing Tickets

FOX-LIGHT by Barnaby Tobias at The Hope Theatre

The descriptions of what happens in this show are so vivid that paradoxically they leave nothing to the imagination – and, at least at the performance … [Read More...]

Little Women at The Roman Theatre of Verulamium St Albans

As theatre productions go this is a memorable, magical experience filled with heart and love and so many tiny thoughtful details, that I’m not sure a … [Read More...]

All of Us by Francesca Martinez | Dorfman Theatre | Review

I’m not sure the theatregoing public really needs a play almost three hours long to tell them that there are some major deficiencies in adult social … [Read More...]

Dog/Actor Threedumb Theatre at the Etcetera Theatre

There are no props at all in Dog, and yet despite a dog, Roy, being very much a key character, the staging and dialogue are more effective than they … [Read More...]

Jarman at the King’s Head Theatre

Be astonishing. That’s Derek Jarman’s exhortation to the world at large and - at the end of the show - to this particular audience. And in this … [Read More...]

London Theatre 1 and London Theatre One are Registered Trademarks Copyright 2022 www.LondonTheatre1.com
By using our website you’re confirming that you’re happy to accept our use of cookies.
Privacy Policy & Cookies - Advertising - About Us - Newsletter - Contact Us

As an Amazon Associate our website receives a commission from qualifying purchases from Amazon.