How Came That Blood
Directors: George Franklin, Jesse Rasmussen, McGregor Rose
Cast: Eltham High School students
Rating: ★★★★

By  EMILY BAXTER

Walk into How Came That Blood, and you’ll be greeted with the entire cast laid out in front of you. No one moves until the performance begins, and even then it’s with eerie discipline. The tension builds with only the cast’s movements and the haunting musical score, until, after almost five minutes, the first line is spoken.

How Came That Blood is a performance put together by the Scrambled Prince Theatre Company (an independent company affiliated with Eltham High School) and directed by George Franklin and McGregor Rose. It takes the many versions of the favourite fairytale Little Red Riding Hood, and presents them in a unique manner.

Influenced by co-creator Jesse Rasmussen (a former Eltham High School student herself) and her junkyard opera company Four Larks, How Came That Blood draws on some dark and serious issues.

The story is told by what appears to be slaughterhouse workers, although prisoners might be a better description. The foreman, Schrodinger, narrates the story, leading the performance through historical variations of Little Red Riding Hood.

From the traditional tale of a rebellious young girl straying from the path in the wood, the story evolves to the more commonly known version of Little Red visiting her grandmother. At all times, the ominous slaughterhouse lurks in the background.

Director George Franklin says the performance has grown “darker” since its original seasons at Eltham High School and Adelaide Fringe. Current societal issues, including the Royal Commission into Sexual Abuse and Jill Meagher’s murder, have further influenced this gripping fable.

Cast members contributed their own ideas too, with an uncomfortable scene of Little Red and the Wolf at a bus stop, a familiar experience for many young people.

The music is hauntingly beautiful and keeps pace perfectly with the action of the narrative. Vocals blend together seamlessly, from innocently sweet notes for Little Red, to the deep, and sometimes threatening bass of the men and the Wolf.

The original score (composed by George Franklin and Gabriel Piras) includes the spine-tingling How Came That Blood, and other equally captivating songs like A Worker's Song (Blood and Stone) and The Wolf Song.

Silence is used with finesse. At times it builds audience suspense, at others it allows the background sounds to stand out, including the dripping of blood being wrung out into a bucket.

It’s the small things that have a big effect. Red hues wash over the faces of the cast, matching the blood on their overalls and adding to the grim scene. Red hair ribbons, wool and balloons remind the audience of both Little Red Riding Hood and the inevitable bloodshed.

The performers are true professionals, and prove that younger people can and should deal with traditionally “adult” themes. One thing’s for sure – this dark performance and its emerging cast have a bright future ahead of them.

How Came That Blood is appearing as part of Melbourne Fringe Festival until September 26. Find ticketing information here.