Company of Wolves & Watch Me Fall

In the spirit of the radio play that first aired this version of Angela Carter's story, we are invited to wear blindfolds. Some did, and would have heard a thoughtful attempt at a sound experience where narrative details were backed by appropriate noises off stage. Others, myself included, opted to be voyeurs while Picking Up Sticks enacted Carter's erotically-tinged take on Red Riding Hood. And so, while unseen wolves howled, Stefanie Ritch's precocious minx donned her red cape and headed off in the direction of sexual awakening in the shape of Jamie Kirk's throatily suave Werewolf.

Props were minimal - this was living radio' after all - and the acting space a strip between seating, but this didn't cramp a fine visual style which complemented, but rarely overshadowed, the text. It ended with Ritch asleep in the arms of the bemused Werewolf who now occupied Granny's armchair - and audiences, blindfolded or not, applauding nicely crafted storytelling.

Action Hero - the Bristol-based duo of Gemma Paintin and James Stenhouse - choose to perform dangerously, which is not how you'd describe the daredevil stunts James pretends to do in Watch Me Fall. They're mostly exuberantly hyped-up smidgeons of comical anti-climax, the real danger lying in how the audience standing in the sidelines will interact, or not, as Stenhouse talks.

This feels like a work in progress, but with fascinating strands. Why do the public crave shows of death-defying risk? Or laugh at abusive behaviour? Not a comfortable or comforting piece, but full of promise.