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.