Rumplestiltskin (Liverpool, Unity)

What do you get when you combine a Millers daughter, a childish King, a magical imp and a housemaid with a beard? Well, this year’s Christmas show at the Unity theatre in Liverpool – Rumplestiltskin!

This gem of a family show is perfect for young children at this time of year, as it is bright,bold and lots of fun. Nina Hajiyianni’s direction is squarely aimed at under tens and the theatre full of excited young children prove that she completely hits the mark.

As soon as you enter the theatre, the cast are there to welcome you and get the audience geared up for a fun performance; interacting with the audience and challenging them to imitate animals, dances and staring competitions, much to the children’s-and parents-delight!

A cast of four take on the story of Rumplestiltskin, spinning straw into gold and attempting to navigate through a Kings whims and a magical Imps demands. They do so with song, dance and theatre magic that kept even the most unruly child and bored parent entertained. The cast, notably Aiden Lee Brooks as both the Miller and the Housekeeper, impressively transform from one character to another, retelling the story with childlike whimsy and flair.

The creative team have certainly excelled themselves this year, with the visuals for this show expertly reflecting the whimsical elements of the performance, a set that cleverly emulates a child’s buildings blocks to transform from one setting to another, a magical spinning wheel that had half the audience gasping in amazement and costumes that match the aspiration of the show perfectly.

A highlight is certainly the climax, with the ‘deep dark forest’ being built up throughout the show, it does not fail to impress, with puppets and amusing references to other fairy tales, from a frog desperately searching for a kiss, to a rabbit looking for Alice and late for an important date, it brought the perfect amount of laughs from parents and children alike.

This show is definitely one to bring the children to, be prepared to be entranced, delighted and amused at the Unity this Christmas, Rumplestiltskin is a sure fire way to keep little ones happy and it's an absolute delight.

Rumplestiltskin is at the Unity, Liverpool until 10th January.