Gretel (EICF)
★★★☆☆ Twisty
Assembly Roxy: Tue 2 – Sun 7 Jun 2026
Review by Sophie Good
In Gretel, at Assembly Roxy as part of the Edinburgh International Children’s Festival, Italian contemporary circus company Quattrox4 take their audience on a journey to discover the meaning of “home”.
Gretel likes to do things differently. She pours tea by wrapping her arm around her head and pouring backwards over her shoulder. She sweeps up under her own feet. She sprays water into a teapot. You get the idea. She’s quirky and almost contortionist level bendy.
Clara Storti in Gretel. Pic: Alessandro Villa.
Clara Storti, the author, director and performer of this one person production, puts on a highly entertaining, ever changing and morphing show which uses object theatre in a truly charming way.
The set and props, designed by Maddalena Oppici and Storti herself, are intricate and well thought through. Gretel’s imaginary pets, embodied in feather dusters, sticks and other household items, taken on such meaning that you find yourself believing in their realness as much as Storti does.
darker themes
There are some darker themes amongst the playfulness, Gretel works hard to build her world of objects around her, only to have it all fall apart in what seems to be a storm. She carefully packs up her worldly belongings and is forced to move on.
Storti carries the weight of this move literally and emotionally and it packs a punch to see her keep trying. Her journey takes her high up above the stage in some seriously impressive aerial rope work, as Storti attempts to find her next home up into the clouds.
Clara Storti in Gretel. Pic: Alessandro Villa.
Our young reviewer sometimes struggled to find narrative meaning, as many do with physical theatre, but certainly understood the key themes. She also found it very funny. There is a moment with a slippery floor and some accidental splits which was straight out of the Vaudeville and silent film era. The show age guide is 5-10 years but the sweet spot would probably be around 6 or 7 years old.
fairy tale roots
There are nods to Gretel’s fairy tale roots. In one scene she attempts to leave a trail behind her to find her way back home; but it doesn’t work out as she planned – a recurring theme in this piece which looks at tenacity and resilience in the face of changing circumstances.
Gretel is very likeable because of its engaging and committed performance from Storti, besides being a great introduction to the traditions of physical theatre and clowning.
Running time: 50 minutes (no interval).
Assembly Roxy, 2 Roxburgh Place, EH8 9SU..
Tue 2 – Sun 7 June 2026
Tue: 10am; Wed: 1.45pm; Thurs: 10.am; Fri: 2.45pm; Sat: 1pm, 5pm; Sun: 11.30am.
Tickets and details: Book here.
Quattrox4 website: www.quattrox4.com
Clara Storti in Gretel. Pic: Alessandro Villa.
ENDS
