Performance review: Hex

With a delay in production and a number of technical errors, Hex seems an appropriate name for this National Theatre production. A dark adaptation of the fairytale Sleeping Beauty, Hex follows the story of a fairy without wings, who puts a curse on the queen’s child and tries to correct it by encouraging a prince to wake her up with a kiss. But there’s twist – her dream quickly becomes a nightmare as we begin to unravel this quirky and exciting story.

The main setback with the production is its target audience is unclear. Initially it appears to be a show for families, but as the plot unfolds there areseveral elements that younger audiences may find disturbing – not least a grandmother eating her own grandchildren (if it wasn’t for a double bluff). In a later scene, one crucial line from the grandmother confirms that the production is most certainly not for all ages as she shouts an expletive.

But if this is a show for older students and adults, then it has also been slightly misjudged. There is a sense that the jokes have been muted or adapted for younger audience, giving it an almost slapstick tone.

Despite this, Hex is an incredibly good example of innovative set design, with numerous seamless scene changes and clever use of trap doors. The centre of the stage contains a revolve shaped like a giant rose, and the back of the stage holds a moving platform that represented the city on one side, and Sleeping Beauty’s bed on the other.

Unfortunately the particular production I attended saw the revolve stop working, but the actors swiftly recovered and gained momentum again. A particular piece of set that worked extremely well was the princess’s crib (pictured): a small podium holding a puppet of the baby princess, with a space for an actor’s head to poke through to provide facial expressions and baby noises.

Overall, Hex is worth a visit with your students, even if it is to pick apart certain elements once you return to the classroom. It offers dynamic set design, vibrant costume design and stunning vocal performances.