If you are old enough to remember “Fractured Fairy Tales” from the Rocky and Bullwinkle cartoon show, then you have some idea of what the audience enjoyed Thursday night when the St. Patrick’s Middle School staged “What Happened after Once upon a Time?”
The versatile cast of 10 students produced modernized versions of the classic fairy tales of Cinderella, Rapunzel, the Three Little Pigs. Hansel and Gretel, Jack and the Beanstalk, the Princess and the Pea, Little Red Riding Hood, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and Goldilocks.
“The basic plot,” said St. Pat’s Middle School teacher Rachel Knudtson, “is a substitute storyteller who is called in to read a bunch of fairy tales but finds out the characters are much different than in the story books.”
Like a substitute teacher, the long-suffering substitute storyteller, played by Alejandra Ruiz, put up with much attitude and trickery from a Hollywood diva-like Rapunzal, played by Marielena Ramirez, a querulous teen heartthrob Jack, played by Riese Archer, and a litigious Little Red Riding Hood, played by Rubi Hernandez.
The dwarfs turned out to be members of the Fairy Tale Actors Union and mostly work at avoiding work.
Other classic figures included Ashley Macias as both Cinderella and Snow White, Ismael Ferman-Nana as Hansel, Jayna Kenney as Gretel and Peyton Tunink as Goldilocks. Victor Ferman-Nava and Luz Rios brought comic relief to multiple roles, including Snow White’s dwarfs, Goldilocks’ bears, the Three Little Pigs and various wolves.
Sam Ridnour was a one-person stage crew, and the whole production was directed by Knutdson, who gave thanks to St. Pat’s Principal Eddie Diaz, Mike Diaz, Home and School, the St. Pat’s School Board and all the supportive parents.
Ponsonby Britt still rules! Our nation is full of unconventional people either unwilling and/or unable to fit in, hence the need for fracturing fairy tales. There is really nothing wrong with these folks except society at large is needlessly afraid of them. Jay Ward was right. We need a 51st State for these people and should call it Pottsylvania.