THE WILD BRIDE Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith

I don’t know about you but the Brothers Grimm certainly used to scare me stiff when I was a child. Kneehigh, the multi-talented and innovative Cornish ensemble, directed by artistic director Emma Rice, is back on form and offers and imaginative mixture of “dirt, blues and brutality.” A father inadvertently sells his daughter to the Devil who cuts off her hands when he finds she is pure. Carl Grose’s version of this chilling fairy story has soulful music by Stu Baker and is aimed at sophisticated children of all ages. The daughter is played by three actresses, who represent her at different stages in her life. The second act still needs working on; but the actors are in the middle of a very long tour and are, no doubt, still in the process of getting it right. Stuart McLoughlin is the very Devil.