ONCE UPON A NIGHTMARE
Forget happily ever after. Shake & Stir Theatre Co drags The Brothers Grimm out of the storybook and into the shadows with GRIMM – a dark, decadent reimagining of the fairytales you thought you knew. Be warned. These bedtime stories may cause nightmares.
WORDS BROOKE GIBBS
IMAGE CAMERON GRANT
WITH DARKENED CORRIDORS and haunting landscapes, Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, and many other intriguing characters emerge from the shadows, the truth behind their stories – warts and all – boil and bubble to the surface.
Co-Artistic Director Nick Skubikj attributes the success of GRIMM to what Shake & Stir has long suspected about the enduring power of the Grimm tales.
“These stories have fascinated us for years. Reworked and adapted time and time again, seeing audiences respond so strongly to the original versions’ darkness, humour and complexity has been highly rewarding,” Skubij says.
“They’re stories people think they know, but here, the audience will see something a bit different. Because of this, the morals, the brutality, and theatrical surprise feel startlingly new and still relevant. GRIMM lets some hard truths rise to the surface.”
GRIMM is helmed by award-winning writer and director Daniel Evans, who brings his signature blend of precision storytelling and theatrical surprise, delivering a production that is visually arresting, sharply paced and rich in atmosphere.
Co-Artistic Director Nelle Lee wears multiple hats across the production, as she also steps into the roles of adapter and actor. Lee finds beauty in retelling these stories through the way they dissect and unpack the themes, morals, the characters, and what they represent.
“Back in the day when they were told … Obviously a lot has changed since then, and a lot sadly hasn’t, but the stories and the characters sit neatly beside each other. It’s not like we start with Little Red Riding Hood, wrap it up, and then go into Cinderella. The characters and stories are intertwined and each story bleeds into the other," Lee says.
“Rumpelstiltskin appears in Ashputtel’s story, and the Big Bad Wolf has a slightly surprising ending, but the whole time we are definitely giving a solid nod and paying homage to the original characters and what they stood for, but I hope people walk away reflecting on why we tell these stories, why they’ve stood the test of time, and what we want to achieve by retelling them.”
Adding to GRIMM’s bewitching visual identity is the work of celebrated Australian fashion designer and Marrithiyal man, Paul McCann.
“He did a brilliant job of balancing that classic fairytale whimsy vibe with something that is practical, and we’re able to really stretch our legs in them, so to speak, because the set is basically like a slightly tilted playground, so we climb, we jump, we disappear into the trapdoors and piano, and all sorts,” Lee says.
“We get to jump around and swing off things, and the costumes really support the ensemble-style storytelling, and each character has got its iconic piece. Little Red Riding Hood obviously has got her delicious red velvety cape, and the Big Bad Wolf has got his flamboyant fur, but they all work together and help us tell the stories, and shift from one character to another.”
Dark, daring and deliciously unexpected, GRIMM invites audiences to leave the fairytales they remember at the door and step into a world where happily ever after was never guaranteed.
GRIMM
WHEN SAT 26 SEP | 7.30PM
AT ARALUEN ARTS CENTRE
COST $68
INFO araluenartscentre.nt.gov.au
WHEN THU 1 & FRI 2 OCT | 7.30PM
AT AANT CENTRE
COST $60-$65
INFO yourcentre.com.au
