THE FORBIDDEN DOOR

Martinstown Village Hall,

EVERYONE loves a mystery and a tale whose characters include the sun, the moon, sundry princesses and a pig has to be worth listening to.

The Devil’s Violin company of players have the knack for creating a compelling plot accompanied by music that brings to life a fascinating evening of imagination and colour which is reminiscent of the fairy tales of long ago.

The evening comprises one man relating a story with three string players providing atmospheric background music, none of which sounds very exciting but the end result is quite simply awesome and had the audience entranced.

The characters, the sun king, the moon queen and their three wayward princess daughters, provide a universal story of domestic life that resonates with everyone as orders are disobeyed and secrets are unfolded.

With strange happenings and a couple of neat twists, the adult fairy tale is full of surprises and dark humour, enriched by the playing of Sarah Moody, Oliver Wilson Dickson and Dylan Fowler.

Storyteller Dominic Kelly catches the mood with unerring skill as he builds an atmosphere of excitement in a drama which tells of a box that must not be opened and a door that must remain locked, both of which are exposed, of course.

The company are on a national tour and came to Dorset through the Artsreach programme which promotes quality entertainment in village locations that benefit the local communities they visit.

Long may they continue to thrive.

MARION COX