Once Upon a Time

Grimm – Theatre Above the Law

Reimagining and recombining fairy tales is a mode of story telling probably only slightly less ancient than the fairy tales themselves. I imagine there is more than one fairy tale I know by heart but have never actual heard or seen in its original format, having just pieced it together from its adaptations. Theatre Above the Law’s new show Grimm, picks a few darker or lesser known of Grimms’ fairy tales, just in time for Halloween.

The story focuses on Jakob Grimm, one of the famous brothers, looking for his sibling, lost now in their stories. The question I had walking in was whether the show would find a way out of the shadow of either the countless Disney adaptations of these stories, or, more specific to the theatre, Stephen Sondheim’s Into the Woods. Like that classic, this show also works through multiple stories to synthesize its message, but Grimm manages to effectively find its own voice in this crowded field. The show wisely focuses on stories that have not gotten the Disney treatment, and with the exception of Little Red Riding Hood, none of whom appear in Into the Woods. And where the message of Into the Woods was about the lessons parents teach their children, Grimm is more an exploration of danger and loss. The result is a show that is by turns delightful and haunting.

The show is set in a cabaret bar and takes advantage of the setting to stage its stories. The props like mops or crates or the gadgets for shaking a cocktail get used to perform the stories, and the effect is charming. Stina Taylor’s set and Tony Lawry’s prop work invite the audience to agree to the fantasy with the actors, and the result is more effective than even the most realistic props could be.

The cast is also delightful. All of them commit to the stories with zeal, and like the props and set, all serve to draw the audience into the fairy tale world. Highlights for me were Brooks Whitlock as the Fish Prince. The story of the fish who grants the fisherman a wish in exchange for his life gets broken up over the show and each of his appearances was fantastic and made me laugh out loud. Connar Brown appearing as Rumplestiltskin, among several other roles, was also fantastic in the role. There’s a thin line between over and under performing this kind of story, and she walked it easily throughout the show.

Grimm takes a novel approach to retelling stories that have been staged countless times in countless ways. Had the show merely succeeded in not feeling derivative, that would be accomplishment enough. But in the hands of a bright and charming cast on an inventive set, this became one of my favorites I’ve seen this fall.

Highly Recommended

Reviewed by Kevin Curran

Presented October 7-31 by Theatre Above the Law at 1439 W. Jarvis, Chicago.

Tickets are available by going to www.theatreatl.org. Please note that people attending the show live will need to show proof of vaccination.

Additional information about this and other area productions can be found by visiting www.theatreinchicago.com.