Le Cabaret Grimm

Starting today (April 8th) is a new mixed-discipline theatrical show is opening by The Performance Lab in Boston, called "Le Cabaret Grimm-a punk cabaret fairy tale (sans fairies)".

The show is unashamedly experimental with masks, puppets, circus acts, music and more thrown into the mix as they interpret some tales by the Brothers Grimm through a variety of Arts and styles, including steampunk, cabaret and burlesque. Music ranges from from R&B, to Tom Waits to Ska to the Dresden Dolls.

An article from wubr.org (which also has an interview you can listen to) explains the Director's thoughts behind melding the art forms on stage:

“There’s circus arts, and there’s burlesque and cabaret and all kinds of really fun alternative things going on in the city but people don’t really know about it — it’s all in segmented places,” Slavick explains. “And I want the Performance LAB to be a bridge between the mainstream arts community and the mainstream audience, and the fringe, experimental community in Boston. ”

Here's the blurb from the official website:

From somewhere between Paris, Berlin and the bowels of the Bowery comes Le Cabaret Grimm, a punk cabaret tale of loss, longing, and desire - with a healthy dose of irony. We've got sexy girls and boys, conjoined twins, demons, and talking chickens. We'll take you on a journey drawn from the Tales of the Brothers Grimm, with music, mask, dance, and spectacle, led by the great chanteuse Veronique du Blahblahblah.

Each night we are joined by special guest performers. We bring you music, burlesque, circus, drag and more, hosted by the extraordinary Johnny Blazes.

Welcome to Le Cabaret Grimm!

I can't find any information on the use of the fairy tales or even which ones are being used except for this quote which reads: "We’re using these fun, contemporary styles to draw in the audience” says Slavick, “but we’re combining them with classic tales that have a universal quality and resonate deeply.” (source: StageSource) I'm very curious as to which tales are incorporated and the few photos available don't give many clues but it's interesting to think of any fairy tales being presented this way. I wish the 'LAB' every success.

If you're interested and can get to Boston in time, the show runs through April 24th, 2010.

Granny O'Grimm's Oscar Message

Once Upon Blog wishes Granny O'Grimm much luck and fun tomorrow at the Oscars - "Brad Clooney" and all. Knock 'em dead Granny! (Well, er, not literally...)

Here's Granny's "Once upon an Oscar" tale (I hope she gets to say a few words during the show, with or without a golden statue):

"Granny O'Grimm's Sleeping Beauty" Makes List For 2009 Oscar Contenders

Fairy tales might be going to the Oscars again - at least in short form.

In the "Animated Short Films" category, Brown Bag Film's "Granny O'Grimm's Sleeping Beauty" made the list of ten from which the official five Academy Award Nominees will be chosen.

You can see the list of contenders and see some excerpts HERE and HERE.

Here's a description from the website:

We all know the Grimm fairytales. Granny's are grimmer... once upon a time there was a granny who dreamed of being the best granny in the world. Unfortunately, this granny was tormented by a lifetime of rage against the world and everyone in it. Luckily, nobody noticed what an angry old woman she had become because they took no notice of her one way or another. But there's only so much an anger an old woman can repress before it BURSTS OUT FROM THE DEPTHS OF HER SOUL IN A SCREAMING FIREBALL OF BITTERNESS AND RESENTMENT!

... or a bedtime story, as Granny herself likes to call it.

Granny O'Grimm is a 26 x 11 min animated series. Each episode features Granny O'Grimm's desperate attempts to be the perfect granny to her three grandchildren, before the fairytales unleash her demons. Produced by Brown Bad Films and directed by Nicky Phelan, the series will be created in 3D and 2D computer animation.

The website, with lots of great little behind-the-scenes and 'Granny comments', is HERE (a hint: click on the red fairy tale book next to the TV to see some of Granny's versions of fairy tales and nursery rhymes).

The SurLaLune Blog posted a great entry on the short film HERE so I won't repeat all the information except to show you a trailer:

You can see a little more of the story at the website HERE.

I love this little film for so many reasons, not the least of which it shows an amusing example of how, in the oral tradition of telling fairy tales to children, our own prejudices can get in the way.The Nominees who will actually be 'walking' that red carpet to the Oscars will be announced on February 2, 2010. I wish Brown Bag Films all the best. There's some fierce competition but I have a feeling Granny will do a good job of holding her own.

In the meantime Granny has a lot to say via Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE (along with an Agony Granny column both on Facebook, in 'tweets' and at the official website). From her 'advice' I'd say she's the lovably cantankerous sort. Not to be missed.

Stage Adaptation of "Ashputtel" Begins Touring in the UK

Forest Forge Theatre Company in Hampshire (UK) has created an adaptation of Grimm's Ashputtel for the stage just in time for Christmas.

In a season when fractured fairy tales and 'panto' Cinderellas take over the stage (at least until Nutcracker season starts) it's refreshing to see the very different "Ashputtel - A Cinderella Story", based on the the Grimm's fairy tale, on offer as a Christmas family show. This one, doesn't have the extreme characters (ie. ugly sisters, often in drag) found in the panto versions but offers a different type of family-friendly story. In this production, as in the tale it's adapted from, Ashputtel has no godmother, fairy or otherwise, but there's plenty of magic...

From Salisbury Journal:

“I think Ashputtel is the best Christmas story there is and the one that fascinates me the most,” she says. “It is about identity and growing up, a real coming of age, following the seasons of the year and beginning and ending in wintertime. The story makes for a lovely family show.” (says Kristie, Artistic Director of Forest Forge)

Aschenputtel by Janaschi

Kirstie uses five actor musicians to tell Ashputtel’s story, and there isn’t a fairy in sight. Ashputtel plants a twig by her mother’s grave that grows to become a magic tree that cannot be chopped down (Edit FTNH: and showers Ashputtel with marvelous ball dresses). “The magic of the story is that the tree is her mother looking out for her,” says Kirstie. “It really is a beautifully inventive tale.”

You can read the whole article HERE.

I'm curious to see the response to this version of Cinderella (did I read about puppet knives, toes and heels in the Director's blog? The knives, toes and heels are probably just props, but still, not your average prop list for a family show!) and I'd love to see how the seasons work in. Unfortunately I don't think Forest Forge have enough funding to attempt overseas tours (yet). Perhaps I'll get lucky and someone will film it...

The Forest Forge Theatre Company website HERE also has the interesting Director's blog I mentioned, in which she writes/reflects on the development of "Ashputtel - The Cinderella Story" and the rehearsal process. You can read the blog HERE.Forest Forge started their tour this week on the 12th of November and will continue touring until January 16th, 2010. You can find more information about where they will be performing HERE.

"Grimm for Grown-ups" Coming To The Québec Intercultural Storytelling Festival

During October the Québec Intercultural Storytelling Festival is set to take over many of the public venues in the city for their events and programmes.

On October 24th, a free presentation titled "Grimm for Grown-ups" is happening at the Goethe-Institut in Montreal as part of the Festival.From the Institute's website:

German storytellers who are special guests of the Quebec Intercultural Storytelling Festival will enchant your ears with traditional German folk and fairy tales for adults. Come discover the metaphors, Freudian slips, violence, beauty and poetry of these stories, which have crossed the ages and still speak to our hearts and imagination today.

You can find more information about the presentation HERE.

I wonder if anyone will be recording? This would make a great podcast!As for the rest of the Storytelling Festival it will be presented in both English and French , here's the rundown according to the press release:

The 10^th edition of the Québec Intercultural Storytelling Festival will take place from October the 16^th to the 25^th, in concert venues, libraries, and theatres around Montréal, Québec City and the Eastern Townships. More than 130 events will be presented, in French and in English, by no less than 120 storytellers. This year, the Festival's English Section is featuring artists from Germany, Israel, England, the Yukon, Ontario and Québec.

You can see the other events planned and look at the amazing number and range of talented storytellers coming to town for this event HERE.

While storytelling is often considered (at least in English-speaking countries) to be for children only, the reality is that storytelling - when done well and appropriately - has a profound impact on listeners no matter what the age. Storytelling is used, not only for recreational purposes and to communicate information but also for healing and therapy. (And just look at the news: There's a whole lot of storytelling happening right there! Sorry, couldn't resist.)

My favorite storyteller is still Dr Clarissa Pinkola Estes, whom I discovered about ten years ago. A multi-award winning author and Jungian-analyst, who uses her storytelling to look at the human condition as well as for healing and therapy, she weaves fairy tales, folktales, myths and legends effortlessly into her presentations. I highly recommend her audiobooks:

• Women Who Run With the Wolves: Myths and Stories of the Wild Women Archetypes (which was also a NY Times bestseller)
  

• The Red Shoes: On Torment and the Recovery of the Soul Life

• Warming the Stone Child: Stories and Myths About Abandonment and the Unmothered Child
  

• The Creative Fire: Myths and Stories About the Cycles of Creativity

It's worth tracking down the out-of-print titles. I especially enjoy how she uses a mix of well known tales and lesser known ones from all over the world. The result, at least for me, is that it makes it clear how tales can transcend boundaries of race and culture because the human experience is same the world over, albeit in different forms. It's good to be reminded of that from time to time.

Darkwood by M. E. Breen

Here's an interesting recent release (May 12, 2009) from Bloomsbury that uses fairy tale motifs.

"Darkwood" is by M.E. Breen and it's shelved YA, though from the description it's really for everybody.

Here's the Amazon blurb:

Darkness falls so quickly in Howland that the people there have no word for evening. One minute the sky is light, the next minute it is black. But darkness comes in other forms, too, and for thirteen-year-old Annie, the misery she endures in her Uncle’s household makes the black of night seem almost soothing. When Annie escapes, her route takes her first to a dangerous mine where a precious stone is being stolen by an enemy of the king, and later to the king’s own halls, where a figure from Annie’s past makes a startling appearance. All the while, reported sightings of kinderstalk— mysterious, wolf-like creatures that prowl Howland’s dark forests—grow more frequent. Eloquent, suspenseful, and imbued with fairy-tale motifs found in The Brothers Grimm, this is a riveting coming-of-age story of a girl who must learn to trust her instincts if she’s to lead the people she is destined to rule.

With a starred review from Kirkus, a favorable review from Booklist, phrases in reader reviews like 'don't miss' & 'a new classic', and words like kinderstalk and Darkblog (where Ms. Breen - pictured on the right - has her blog), I'm going to have to check it out. (You can read chapter 1 as a free PDF download HERE.)

From the blurb and the first chapter I have to hope this book inspires a few artists to get drawing/painting. Apothecaries, hidden pockets, the dark woods and, again, the kinderstalk.. need I say more?

There is, at least, a gorgeous cover to start us off.

It's by Swedish artist Alexander Jansson and clearly says 'fairy tale echoes inside'! In fact, I found the book through the fairy tale-like illustration so he's obviously done a great job of reflecting the content and catching the interest of people who like their fantasy with some fairy tale influence (i.e. me). I'll be profiling this amazing illustrator/artist tomorrow's post.

I've posted Jansson's cover work without the text below so you can get a closer look at some of his lovely painting and texturing (just click on the image). Enjoy!