LIKE many other writers of children's tales, Hans Christian Andersen could write some pretty gruesome stories. The Tinder Box, with its beheading and general mayhem, was one.
But fear not, this version at the Unity Theatre aimed at young children is a charming show which rewrites it slightly and it is never too gruesome.
It manages to conjure up images using all the magic of theatre while offering original songs and a six-strong cast.
The production is a collaboration between the Unity, Hope Street theatre school and the Ullaloom theatre group.
At the centre of it is The Soldier, played by Filippo Fiori of Ullaloom. He has a strong stage presence and develops an immediate rapport with the audience.
Escaping an unnamed war, he takes refuge in a forest, where he meets a witch who asks him to recover a tinderbox from a hollow tree. When he descends to get it he finds riches as well as a magic tinderbox but refuses to hand it over on his return to the surface. There is a battle between him and the witch which results in the witch's demise.
Then, accompanied by a friendly cat, he visits the local town, where, after some adventures, he marries a princess who has been imprisoned by her father, The King.
Director Paula Sims uses projections and film in a forest set dominated by a large moon on which the images are screened.
The set and costume designs from Becs Andrews are outstanding, the single set changing all the time by the use of windows, gauze and lighting.
It is set off by Patrick Dineen's original score and songs, sometimes quite melodic, other times possibly inspired by Kurt Weill.
The show has been playing to schools but there are a number of public shows from Saturday until January 27.
