“SAME SPOOP, NEW TAILS” Theatre Above the Law’s GRIMM returns for the fourth year in a row.

Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm first published their collection of folktales, Kinder- und Hausmärchen (Children’s and Household Tales) in 1812. As any English-Lit nerd can tell you, it was originally meant as a scholarly collection of traditional German folktales, not children’s bedtime stories. When the collection began to gain popularity, the brothers gradually sanitized their collection for children, and the fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm have since become a foundational text here in the US, helped in part by Disney. In more recent times, the Grimm brothers themselves have entered the stories as adventurers, monster killers, con-men and/or heroes, depending on the re-telling.

GRIMM, written by Michael Dalberg is a new spin on the old stories and the characters of the Brothers Grimm. It is the ninth version of a production written for Theatre Above the Law each autumn. Given the rich legacy of the Grimms and the inventive, enthusiastic team at Theatre Above the Law, I can see why this particular show has been re-imagined four times, and opens the company’s ninth season.

The play opens with Jacob Grimm being dragged into a bar that is a sort of half-way house outside of time, and home to many characters from the stories. He’s hunting the Big Bad Wolf, who was apparently involved in the disappearance of his brother Wilhelm. The characters, including Little Red, protect the Wolf, and insist that Jakob will have to endure the re-telling some of his own stories before they will allow him to confront the Wolf. Throughout the play, characters remind Jakob that he must participate in the telling of his stories and must “go through” them to find the answers he seeks.

The set is a simple bar. Light and Sound Design do most of the work, to great effect. Sound Designer Nathan Goldberg provides several moments of comedy, and Lighting Designer Britany Pearson helps set the tone in several pivotal scenes. Director Tony Lawry is obviously well-versed in making a production work with a small budget and a big imagination, using all the elements available to him to create an immersive and joyful experience.

What ensues is a delightful, creative re-telling of several Grimm fairytales, both popular and lesser known: Little Red Riding Hood, The Goose Girl, The Pied Piper, Hans in Luck and Cinderella. The ensemble members all take turns playing the main characters, sliding between genders and ages, good guys and bad, with humor and enthusiasm. The costumes and props are simple and portable. Once again, I was reminded that with a talented and charismatic cast, all you need is a strand of golden beads to stand in for a ballgown, a stuffed doll for a horse, and a cocktail spoon for a sword. Appropriately for Halloween, the stories grow increasingly dark as it progresses. Jacob is slowly drawn into his own stories while hunting for answers on the disappearance of his brother.

At times, the framing device of Jakob’s search for answers was a little hard to follow. The reason behind Jakob’s need to hear the stories again remains vague, as does the reason that he blames the Wolf for Wilhem’s disappearance. The story of Little Red Riding Hood is used to explain all of this, but it’s not told till the very end of the show. Frankly, none of it really seemed necessary. The stories themselves, re-written with a modern sense of humor and portrayed by a charming, fully committed cast is more than enough to keep the audience engaged. Overall, there is a feeling that the cast is letting you in on the joke, creating an inclusive, jovial vibe that is irresistible.

The ensemble as a whole really shines in this production. The opening story is The Goose Girl. Told in broad, silly strokes, the cast adopts exaggerated poses reminiscent of Commedia Dell’Arte to great comic effect. Shea Lee as the damsel in distress, embraced the Woe is Me, dramatic physicality perfectly. Later, when she’s an enigmatic and evil fairy, her stiff-backed, deep voiced performance leaves all that behind. Dina Perez is also a blast as a VERY old and loving Queen. She is also instrumental to several sight gags that work wonderfully, and a vapid Evil Stepsister in Cinderella. The shortened vignettes of each story are broken up by silly dance sequences engineered by the Pied Piper (Kevin Woodrow), or Jakob Grimm’s complaining about having to be there at all. Kevin Woodrow leans in hard to camp as Lucky Hans – his tongue in cheek “smolder” is reminiscent of Flynn Rider’s. Sophie Civetta makes a archly funny, evil Chambermaid in The Goose Girl, and a sympathetic Cinderella. Newcomer Aditi Gadhvi is a sweet, wise beyond her years Little Red and the other, equally vapid Evil Stepsister – vocal frying with the best of them. Nick Barnes as Jakob, and Taylor B. Hill as Wolf provide most of the grounding for the audience, reminding us that these stories are told by, and reflect, real people. While Jakob participates in the stories, it is grudgingly until the end, when he takes a turn as a grieving father. Taylor B. Hill is the most common narrator until the end and a warm and solid presence, keeping the bar-outside-of-time a real place, with real feeling and stakes. Her scenes with Nick Barnes are a moving testament to the connections between the stories we tell and the people we love.

Part of the mission of Theatre Above the Law is to foster and educate young artists, and that mission is displayed beautifully with this production. Inclusive, funny and never condescending, this show is a wonderful way to spend an evening with the entire family.

Recommended

Reviewed by Alina C. Hevia

Presented at the Jarvis Square Theater, 1439 W. Jarvis Ave. in Chicago.

Tickets for GRIMM are $15.00 – $25.00 and can be purchased at theatreatl.org or by calling

773-655-7197. Performances are Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30pm and Sundays at 3pm, Thursdays October 10 & 31 at 7:30pm. Previews October 10 & 11 Press Opening October 12 @ 5pm.

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