Italian company Teatro Kismet were at the Playhouse last week with their director Teresa Ludovico’s adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen’s The Little Mermaid, a touching story of a beautiful creature of the sea who gives up her life for an unattainable love. Having saved the life of a prince during a storm, and fallen in love with him, she makes a deal with a witch. She will be given human form in exchange for losing her beautiful voice, but if the prince does not marry her, she will turn into sea-foam forever.

Ludovico’s interpretation is highly theatrical and, at the start, played for laughs. The Mermaid (Daria Menichetti) is intent on getting herself a prince long before fate introduces her to one. Meanwhile, at court, Paolo Summaria’s Lord Chamberlain, a camp, screeching caricature, is very funny, but completely overwhelms the bland prince of Valerio Tambone.

Only later — perhaps too late — does the story take on a serious note. The metamorphosis of the mermaid is highly dramatic, as she tries to walk on her new legs, still bloody from the transformation of her tail. Then comes more comedy as girls audition for the prince’s hand. He does not recognise his mermaid saviour, and chooses another. She is given the chance to win her old life back by killing the prince, but her love is too strong, and in a very effective and moving scene, she literally dissolves before our eyes. All in all this is a very classy and imaginative production, with brilliant effects simply created with the use of lighting and swathes of floating chiffon, but it lacks the heart of Andersen’s tale.

Finally — a plea to any of you going to the theatre on one of these hot evenings. Our enjoyment of this show, and that of many other people, was greatly reduced by two people in the front stalls continually fanning themselves during the performance. Please think of others: doing this is extremely distracting and very inconsiderate.