AUB Productions 
Palace Court Theatre, Bournemouth
Barry Grey 
28 May 2026
When Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm wrote their Kinder- un Hausmarchen at the beginning of the 19th Century, they were recounting tales of folk lore in the best of the German oral tradition. While modern adaptations have since painted these stories in Disney-soft pastels, the Grimm Tales are stark, rustic and psychologically intense, rooted in the brutal living conditions of German peasantry at the time.
At the Palace Court Theatre, AUB Productions seek to continue this oral tradition with the retelling of eight lesser-known tales from the original collection in a production full of humour and creativity that invites the audience to let their imagination run free. From the moment the cast engage us in the story of Ashputtel (Cinderella), we are taken on a journey through forests full of monsters and magic, birds, beasts and villainous people.
Our storytellers float and fly, race and walk through all eight stories with barely a pause for breath. The twelve strong cast are all excellent, switching between roles as each story unfolds. The pacing from all the cast members is exemplary and each has an opportunity to come to the fore as the evening unfolds, but it is the choreography of the whole that shines and brings each tale to life. Some of the animals are so well observed and I loved watching geese and birds, cats and mice come to life. To manage a large cast with each playing six or more roles is not an easy thing to do, and full credit must go to Director, Elinor Lower. In her programme note she says the “production is an exploration of play, of story telling and reinvention” and she manages to deliver on all.
The Grimm brothers loved the simplicity in the folk tales that they shared, knowing it was the imagination of the listener that brought it to life, and here too AUB has embraced the art of storytelling. The set is simple but used so effectively that there is never any doubt when it is a tree or a castle or a hill. The design allows the cast to move around freely without impediment, which they do to frantic effect in the Hare and Hedgehog race. At the back of the set is a beautiful tree sculpture that dominates and catches your eye but never intrudes.
Technically, lighting and sound are spot on. The soundscape envelopes you in such subtle ways that you could be relaxing in a spa, which is what you want when settling in for a story. Lighting is used to great effect throughout, highlighting the set and the cast through the light and dark elements of each story, not least when the clever use of light and paint brought a snowy, wintery scene to life.
The cast is dressed in base costumes of white, that are then supplemented in imaginatively simple ways to suggest ball gowns, animals, uniforms and more. The head pieces are particularly fabulous – in one specific tale, the lighting of the ‘cat’ head piece cast a shadow against a flat that could have come from a real cat. The costume designs are modern interpretations of clothing from the 19th century that frankly wouldn’t look out of place on a fashion catwalk. Well done to all involved in making these.
It isn’t all perfect. For this viewer, some of the segways between stories miss the simplicity of storytelling that the rest of the performance embraces, and the end of each half of the show felt rather abrupt, a bit of a jolt to an otherwise enchanting evening. But these small points stand as testament to how successfully these Grimm Tales are brought to life.
The Grimm brothers in explaining their interest in these stories, observed that people “take pleasure in them without having any reason. This is exactly why the custom of storytelling is so marvellous.” AUB Theatre Productions have given us a night of simple pleasures and continued a grand tradition. The Grimm brothers would be proud.
Grimm Tales runs at the Palace Court Theatre until 30 May. Do make sure you catch it.
