Orthros Theatre Company presents A Modern Fairy Tale until Aug. 30 at Metro Theatre, 1370 SW Marine Dr., Vancouver. Tickets: $20, available online at metrotheatre.com or by calling 604-266-7191.
Once upon a time, in the land of Kingdom Town, there was a same-sex couple planning a stellar party, a cat demanding equal rights for animals, and a gender-fluid wolf in love with a human.
If this story doesn't sound like it's from the pages of a Brothers Grimm anthology, well, it's not. Orthos Theatre Company's new musical parody, A Modern Fairy Tale, takes inspiration from age-old folklore, fairy tales and Disney classics, but the production is anything but traditional. Written and directed by Lisa Simon, the show casts familiar storybook characters in a progressive, 21st-century light.
"It takes all of these characters and really puts them in a modern setting, specifically with an eye towards an understanding and acceptance of the LGBTQ community," says Deep Cove resident Kathryn Ferguson, who plays Rose and Bo Peep. In addition to addressing sexual and gender identity, A Modern Fairy Tale also tackles issues surrounding race and consent.
"That sounds really heavy, but it's done in a whimsical way with an attention to the sensitivity of individual needs and there's a sense of fun and a sense of play," says Ferguson, who has long been active in North Shore community theatre.
The story begins as the main character, Wolf, who identifies as neither female nor male, is experiencing relationship troubles.
"Wolf is in love with Red, of Little Red Riding Hood, but Wolf, being an animal, and Red, being a human, they're not supposed to be together," Ferguson says. Complicating the matter further, Red's co-dependent grandmother and her overbearing ex-boyfriend, Hunter, are both dead set on keeping the inter-species couple apart.
Meanwhile in Kingdom Town, Cinder (a male version of Cinderella) and his partner, Prince Chuck, are planning a last-minute ball at the royal palace; Alice and Hatter are caught up in an intense love-hate relationship; and Rose is caring for her beloved sister, Snow (based on Snow White), who has inexplicably fallen into a catatonic state.
"And then there's a whole other motley crew of characters," Ferguson says.
Among them is Boots the Cat, played by Lower Lonsdale resident Beverly Rapley. Fed up with being discriminated against, Boots rallies the animals of Kingdom Town to start a revolution.
"There's this big racial divide between human fairy tale creatures and nonhuman fairy tale creatures," Rapley explains. "It's harder for us to get jobs, we're treated as second-class citizens, we don't have the same rights as humans."
Rapley, who also serves as assistant director, compares the style of humour in A
Modern Fairy Tale to the Shrek movie series. Audience members can expect popculture jokes, contemporary dance routines and rock and pop music throughout.
"It is a musical parody, so it's familiar songs but with lyrics that tell the story of the fairy tale," Rapley says.
"They are very, very catchy songs."
One of the numbers reimagines Taylor Swift's "We are Never Ever Getting Back Together" while "Crazy on You" by Heart sets the scene for a dance-off competition.
Rapley has been involved with Bowen Island's Tirna-nOg Theatre School productions since she was six years old and first met Lisa Simons when the two were both studying archaeology at SFU. The pair would listen to Disney soundtracks while working in the bone lab. When Rapley heard that Simons had written a fairy tale-inspired script, she was immediately intrigued by the concept and read for a part.
Ferguson, a high school teacher in Maple Ridge who runs a gay-straight alliance club, was drawn to the LGBTQ representation in A Modern Fairy Tale.
"As teachers, we're constantly combating gender stereotypes and here's a fun, but intelligent exploration of this in a musical theatre form. That's what spoke to me," she says.
She hopes audiences come away with a new understanding of what it means to live happily ever after.
"Happily ever after doesn't look one specific way for everyone. Happily ever after can encompass all kinds of love, and should encompass all kinds of love," Ferguson says.
