This critic has heard much about the Grimm brothers Red Riding Hood, why it hasn't been touched by Hollywood is beyond me. You usually have the candy coated Red is the heroine version. Finally, we see the real and rough cut, or the director's cut if you will, as they intended all that time ago. We have the wolf on stage running to Grandma's to beat Red. He does and the SFX are quite gruesome, the screams are so real. This crew has done their homework and it makes you wonder how they did it. I see no sort of trickery.
The costuming is also quite stunning, Riding Hood’s cape is a richly, satin lined red velvet that looks blood red as it moves under the lights. Now, as wolf wipes the blood off his lips and dons Granny's nightgown, Red comes bouncing up the path. He slides into her bed with just seconds to spare as Red knocks on the door. A low howl emits from the stage and something isn't right. The wolf looks... Well, Red, being Red, enters her grandmother's home. She calls for her and again a low howl. But the director is a genius! Red doesn't even utter a word and the wolf jumps up and gobbles her up. Oh my, this... This is real! The wolf is looking around for another meal. He hops down. Where is the huntsman? Wait, I have a knife in my bag. I dig around and pull it out, hooking it into my belt. But he's already eaten someone on the first row and the orchestra has scattered. This was apparently not planned. Oh this is so terrible! Everyone is running and screaming! "Calm down everyone!" I shout but it is no use panic has taken hold. A candelabra has been knocked from the stage into the now empty orchestra pit. The wolf is not looking in my direction so I run to retrieve it. I heft it. It is much heavier than it looks. I swing it a couple of times, the wolf has his back to me, and I have found the balance to my weapon. I run up the aisle and whack the wolf. He is preoccupied with his next victim. I whack him again for good measure and he falls. The young girl under him is screaming and crying. I yank on her repeatedly and at last free her. She runs away, typical. I roll the wolf over and wonder if it really is like the story. Will I find a whole Granny and Red and where is that bloody huntsman? I figure it's worth a shot. I pull my knife from my belt and slam it to the hilt through bone and sinew. It's not very neat but dammit I'm not a doctor, I just played one on TV once. Sure enough, a spry granny and Red spring out! How is that possible? But who am I to question the powers that be? We lost 15 to that vicious attack. Wolf didn't eat them but he tore them to a bloody pulp! (This story was for an Honors Seminar course. I had to imitate a theatre review of Red Riding Hood. Hope you like it!)
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AuthorCollege graduate, Army vet, single mom, Husky mom, Movie lover, writer Archives
August 2022
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