The House With Chicken Legs – Review

Calling all StageSiders, welcome back to another review here at StageSideUK. We were recently asked to attend a performance of The House With Chicken Legs, by Les Enfants Terribles. The performance took place on the 16th of September, at 2pm in the Courtyard Theatre.

PR – Press Tickets – We were asked to attend this show for free, in exchange for an honest review.

About the show!

The House With Chicken Legs is a production based on the novel by Sophie Anderson. There have been many novels, poems and performances based on the Baba Yaga, but Sophie Anderson wanted hers to be different. Saying in an interview (found in the programme) “The character of Baba Yaga always fascinated me because she’s so ambiguous. In most of the stories, she’s portrayed as this evil, cannibalistic witch but as I got older, I started realising she’s so much more than that. She has this benevolent side which I always knew I wanted to explore in my writing.”

The portrayal of Baba Yaga in most folklore and narratives, that I could find, were of a Hansel and Gretel kind of witch who had alot of sinister motives. Sophie went on to say that her version of the Baba Yaga was going to be “a midwife of death”.

My Review!

Admittedly, I have not read Sophie Andersons book, and I now know I want to. With the rich visuals and narrative presented on stage, I can only imagine the book is a cosy but provocative read. Oliver Lansley, adapter and co-director, has achieved a real feat with this production. Teaming with James Seager, the pair have created a beautiful piece of theatre, that asks some interesting questions and starts some important conversations.

The portrayal of death, the afterlife, loss, grief, acceptance and joy is done in such a delicate, yet honest way. The production opens up the conversation and invites the audience (metaphorically) to question their own understanding of mortality.

Hats off to Nina Dunn for the Video desing and Jasmine Swan for the Set designer. The combination of the use of video and the highly interactive and reactive set pieces are amazing to look at. They provide a high level of spectacle without taking away from the drama and narrative. Each transition is placed intentionally, each projection is used to wisely and each scene is delivered to the audience seamlessly and beautifully.

Within the piece, which blends music and theatre so beautifully, we are greeted by many a Yaga. One of which, is Baba. Baba is portrayed, by Lisa Howard as a typical crazy nana. Drinking spirits, dancing with ghosts and playing musical instruments like a rockstar, Baba brings a bucket load of energy to the stage. Howard picks the moments to elevate her energy so well, making the funny moments funny, and the sad moments sad.

Howard is paired perfectly with Eve De Leon Allen, who’s performance as Marinka was perfectly innocent, emotional and wonderful. Their ability to flick that switch, from sweet and innocent to adventurous and grungy, is amazing. As an audience member, I could tell that they understood their character so well, and knew exactly how they would respond in certain situations.

Lisa Howard and Eve De Leon Allen really are a perfect match. Neither one over powering the other, and neither one fading into the shadows. This casting choice is utter perfection and the chemistry on stage is just amazing.

The whole piece was a rollercoaster. I am proud to say, I have now been to a Yaga house party, and I wish my house had chicken legs!

CAST

Eve de Leon Allen (they/them)
Marinka

Dan Willis (he/him)
Jackdaw 

Lisa Howard (she/her)
Baba

Michael Barker (he/him)
Ben

​​Elouise Warboys (she/her)
Nina

Stephanie Levi-John (she/her)
Yaga

CREATIVES

Oliver Lansley (he/him)
Adaptor & Co-Director

James Seager (he/him)
Co-Director

Jasmine Swan (she/her)
Set Designer

Alexander Wolfe (he/him)
Composer & Sound Designer

Samuel Wyer (he/him)
Puppet & Costume Designer

Nina Dunn (she/her)
Video Designer

Jane Lalljee (she/her)
Lighting Designer

Further tour info:

And more. Head to the Les Enfants Terribles site to find out more!

Now onto the ratings!
Entertainment:

If you came out of this show, complaining about boredom or not being entertained then… I don’t think we saw the same show. There is something for everyone in this production. There are puppets, musical numbers, set changes, projections and chicken legs! A full five stars for entertainment!

Value for money

This show has more props, costumes, special effects and talent than you can shake a stick at! The cast, crew and creatives have really put everything they can into this production and it shows! We were sent to see this show, and so we did not pay for our ticket, but the seats are around £20 per ticket to see this show, and I would happily pay that should the show come to my neck of the woods in the future.

Accesibility

The show does do a good job at outlining the use of haze, smoke and flashing lights, as well as the themes explored and how they may not be suitable for everyone. The production is also suggested for those 9 and over, and I would say that is an appropriate age rating. The production is very loud, and that wasn’t mentioned in the preshow warnings or at the theatre itself. If they included a warning of it being loud, I think it would have made people prepare. The scenes that are loud, are intentionally loud and the volume does play a part in the show.

Overall

I mean, can I really say anything else about this show? It is now officially up there in my top 3 shows I have seen in 2023 and I don’t think it will be knocked out! The pacing is perfect, the aesthetics are amazing and the questions it raises are vital! You simply have to see it to believe it, Marinka’s house has chicken legs and I can not wait for it to pop to the North East soon!

Have your say!

Have you seen The House With Chicken Legs? What did you think? Let me know in the comments and let’s get a discussion going.

As always, please be respectful of each other’s opinions and be kind to each other. I completely respect and value everyone that worked on this show. We need to remember that these are people with feelings. Let’s treat them with respect. Bullying will not be tolerated and harmful language will be removed. 

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Featured images have been referenced and are used in line with fair usage, in the copyright act. Credit to Andrew-AB-Photography.