Ovid’s Metamorphoses

When the audience enters the performance space for Ovid’s Metamorphoses, there’s no mistaking that this show is set in World War II. Thanks to authentic-looking props, costumes and film footage, the space at Pleasance Dome is transported to the 1940s, but how does Ovid’s epic, 2000-year-old poem translate to wartime Britain?

“Both were times when the concept of a ‘Hero’ and a ‘Monster’ were very real things. At the ‘picture house’, people flocked to see their matinee idols, who were like glorious gods and goddesses. And during the Blitz anyone could be struck by a thunderbolt!” Peter Bramley, director and co-founder of the Pants on Fire theatre company, explains in his programme note.

What follows is an epic piece of theatre, using all sorts of theatrical tools including live music, film, puppetry, mime and dance. The seven-strong company display equal talents, taking on multiple roles and moving the set around with ease.

Ovid’s Metamorphoses took the Fringe by storm last year, winning the Carol Tambor Award and a New York transfer as a result – not to mention Whatsonstage.com editorial director Terri Paddock’s own personal “editor’s choice” accolade. Don’t miss this second chance to see why.

– Julie McNicholls