Reviews are in for festive kids’ show The Fir Tree at Shakespeare’s Globe in London.
The cast includes Paul Ready (Motherland, BBC; Macbeth, Globe), Anna Crichlow (Julius Caesar, Globe on Tour 2022), Tony Jayawardena (Christmas at the Snow Globe, Globe), Molly Logan (Macbeth, Globe), and Jos Vantyler (The Two Noble Kinsmen, Globe); and music is played by musicians Jeremy Avis, Victoria Couper, Richie Hart and Natalie Lind.
Globe resident writer Hannah Khalil‘s new adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen’s festive fairy tale, directed by Michelle Terry, is suitable for all ages, big or small. The Fir Tree celebrates the wonder and abundance of the natural world and shines a light on the importance of taking care of our planet.
The show is brought to life by a creative team that includes Jacoba Williams (Assistant Director), James Maloney (Composer), Sam Wilde (Designer), Michelle Terry (Director), Glynn MacDonald (Globe Associate – Movement), Tess Dignan (Head of Voice), Siân Williams (Movement Director), Sarah Wright (Puppet Director), and Hannah Khalil (Writer).
The Fir Tree runs until 31 December 2022 at Shakespeare’s Globe.
Check out reviews, below, from TimeOut, the Telegraph, Guardian and more.
Book tickets to The Fir Tree at Shakespeare’s Globe in London
The Fir Tree reviews
"A witty reboot of Hans Christian Andersen"
"... Hannah Khalil’s adaptation doesn’t shy away from all references to death and dissolution. And if an eco-friendly subtext has been smuggled into the storyline, Michelle Terry’s production — festooned with snippets of carols and songs by Kool and the Gang, Joni Mitchell and the like — delivers enough wit and sophistication to appeal to parents as well."
"The climate-conscious gestures were delivered with subtlety — a welcome change from some of the Globe’s other politically conscious offerings."
"The Globe’s outdoor Christmas show is a delightfully ramshackle riff on a pair of Hans Christian Andersen classics"
"‘The Fir Tree’ is an endearingly loose riff on Hans Christian Andersen’s story of the same name."
"It could obviously be aggressively sad. But Terry’s production and Khalil’s script is cheerily irreverent, and more initially focussed on the absurdity of detailing a tree’s life in a forest."
'‘The Fir Tree’ feels a bit thrown together, a bit pandemic era, a bit padded out in places. But it’s lots of fun, has a quirky personality of its own, and with the cold snap mercifully over by press night, there’s something extra magical – and even slightly transgressive – about being outside at the Globe in the dead of winter."
"A festive eco-fable that may make you pity your Christmas tree"
"Hans Christian Andersen’s obscure fairy tale about a talkative tree has been re-spun by the Globe –with mixed results"
"Hannah Khalil has taken one of Hans Christian Andersen’s lesser-known fairy tales, first published on this very day in 1844, and re-spun it into a worthy modern eco-fable. It’s not without charm, but there is an increasing and alarming sense of the material being spread very thin. Director Michelle Terry, who is also the Globe’s Artistic Director, should have insisted on some judicious plumping-up in parts."
"At its best, the piece is sensitive and thoughtful – but not for very small children, who twitched and fidgeted on the night I attended."
"A must-see festive family fairy tale"
"Hannah Khalil’s lo-fi retelling of Hans Christian Andersen’s 1844 story cleverly weaves in humour, carols and a contemporary lesson on woodland conservation"
"When the Globe gets it right, the effect is magical and this show is a case in point. Hannah Khalil’s quirky, lo-fi retelling of Hans Christian Andersen’s 1844 story about an anxious fir tree manages to capture the appeal of that original while building in a very contemporary lesson around woodland conservation."
"We are occasionally invited to join in with the carol singing, and it feels suddenly, immensely, moving. This is a festive family show that must be seen – without or without an accompanying child."
