Going small and swift are the magical transformations available to orphan Kay Harker from the mysterious box in John Masefield’s 1935 novel. The RSC’s new production goes big: bold video designs, aerial sequences, abundant puppetry, a sprawling and handsomely dressed cast, plus an eight-piece band. It’s swift, too, gliding through Kay’s travels to ancient times and his encounters with the 30s criminal underworld.
If the play loses some of the richly bewildering quality of Masefield’s storytelling, whose folklore envelops the reader like smoke, this is a well-crafted show that recognises Masefield’s place in the pantheon of fantasy novelists. It brings us, if not a lion, then wolves, a witch and a wardrobe, through which characters emerge in Tom Piper’s elegantly versatile set design.
