The Bristol Post,
15/10/12

THE Devil’s Violin theatre company have established a fine reputation as one of the country’s foremost storytelling groups. Taking established, sometimes even famous, folktales, myths and legends and presenting them in a different context as to bring new meaning to the original texts. A Love Like Salt looks mainly at the work of two of England’s greatest authors: William Shakespeare and Geoffrey Chaucer.

The most straightforward presentations were of The Franklin’s Tale and The Wife of Bath’s Tale from Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales.

But perhaps the most interesting story in the play is not the traditional, straightforward presentation, but rather the one that though nominally based on Shakespeare’s King Lear, is actually an amalgamation of a number of other stories too, including the fairytale of Cinderella.

All three tales concern themselves with women’s hopes and desires, thwarted or fulfilled and are beautifully told by Daniel Morden, who doesn’t so much act out all the parts as infuse the story with an emotion that helps draw the listener in. Intelligent, delicate and mature, A Love Like Salt is terrific.