Review: The House with Chicken Legs (Touring)

Wednesday, 6th September 2023 at York Theatre Royal.

Les Enfants Terribles’ take on Sophie Anderson’s young adult novel, The House with Chicken Legs, is a quirky, heartfelt and visually rich show. Co-directors James Seager and Oliver Lansley (who also adapted the story for the stage) deliver heart and humour in a fine balance, allowing the trials and tribulations of youth their time in the spotlight just as readily as those all-important formative moments of growth and self-awareness. There’s plenty of light-hearted fun and moments of whacky comedy, but there’s also a great big ball of turmoil that our central character needs to unpick.

We follow Marinka (Eve de Leon Allen), just on the cusp of teendom and eager to explore what the world might hold. Her Baba (Lisa Howard) has other plans for her though, hoping that she will take her place as a Yaga: one who guides the dead to their destiny in the stars. Allen is a wonderful lead, bringing childishness and pre-teen vulnerability and easy likeability to the role, alongside a singing voice which finds all the emotion of Alexander Wolfe’s compositions. They also have a great sense of connection with the likes of local lad Ben, played with an uncertain charm by Michael Barker, and a sweet young girl, Nina, played with great spirit and adorable innocence by Elouise Warboys.

Howard, meanwhile, injects impressive energy, charm and wisdom with her grand performance as Baba – a character whose presence lingers long after she has exited stage left. The cast as a whole are strong and play to strengths – particularly when it comes to Stephanie Levi-John’s bold creation of an ancient Yaga, complete with charismatic grandeur and some powerful pipes. Dan Willis is also a natural standout with his playful puppetry of the mischievous Jackdaw, whose antics gain plenty of titters. And speaking of titters – The “Yaga House Party” sequence is great fun (technical issues scuppered the lyrics somewhat, but the spectacle was a treat) – think “S Club Party” and add a chicken legs theme…

This production is also full of beautiful imagery, as we might expect from a tale about a house with legs which guides the dead to a great beyond. Jasmine Swan’s set brings us to cosy interiors and harshly vacant exteriors, helped along nicely by Nina Dunn’s video designs which conjure the final stage of the life cycle. Samuel Wyer’s puppets and costumes all pay homage to the traditional folklore influences behind this story, and whether whacky and comical or (mildly) haunting and touching, the sights and sounds of this show are always thoroughly entertaining.

The House with Chicken Legs is an engaging story with endearing characters and it’s brought to life in all its fantastical wackiness and big-heartedness in this ambitious production – whether you’ve enjoyed the novel or not, this is a show worth seeing.

The House with Chicken Legs is at York Theatre Royal until 9 September 2023 – more information and tickets can be found here. The show then stops off at Leeds Playhouse from 13-16 September – information and tickets for Leeds performances can be found here.

Note: a few technical difficulties befell this performance, so it’s a bit tricky to arrive at a definite sense of the production as a whole – particularly in terms of the songs and segues. It seems fair to skip the stars on this occasion in favour of simply saying that this production has all the building blocks of a great show and it’s not at all difficult to see the magic of the piece, even with a few interruptions. It’s also worth saying that this cast could probably deliver the show in a thunderstorm and still leave a good impression – what a team!