theatre review: The Woodsman | Old Red Lion | Little Red Riding Hood | Wolf | Kevin Bacon | Richard Ings | child molestation | Steven Fechter

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The Review - THEATRE by SCOTT PEARSE
Published: 23 April 2009

Crime and forgiveness

THE WOODSMAN
Old Red Lion

IN the classic fairy tale, Little Red Riding Hood is saved from the belly of the wolf by a woodsman.
What if this woodsman had previously been a wolf himself? Is he still the same hero?
This is the first time this play has been produced in Europe; it follows on from a successful feature film adaption starring Kevin Bacon.
Of the play’s central themes – crime and redemption – writer Steven Fechter says: “America is a country big on crime and punishment, and less on forgiveness.”
We find our main character Walter (Richard Ings) fresh out of the state penitentiary after serving a 12-year sentence for child molestation.
We squirm when we find out he lives 100 yards from a school full of children, spending his mornings watching pre-pubescent girls “po-going down the street”.
Yet we know Walter is attempting to lead a quiet life, where, with the help of his psychiatrist Dr Rosen (Dominic Coddington), his brother in law Carlos (Mark Phillip Compton) and girlfriend Nikki (Lisa Came) he will feel “normal”.
The plot brings a new perspective on a social problem we usually only see one side of: sexual predators are portrayed as monstrous and evil.
This play asks us to consider if they are worthy of our absolution and if, after the crime and punishment, we can allow them forgiveness.
The acting from Richard Ings and Lisa Came was particularly believable, while some of their co-stars had trouble mastering American accents.
The sparse and haunting set design from Ben Sandford reflected perfectly the darkness of the subject matter and, although challenging and at times uncomfortable to watch, this is an engaging and thought provoking play.
Until May 2
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