Review: (Toronto) Fairy Tale Ending

Not All As It Seems
by Gregory Bunker

Wow.

Enormously entertaining and rewarding for all ages, Role Your Own Theatre’s Fairy Tale Ending: The Big Bad Family Musical will keep children and adults—not just parents—laughing and thinking from start to finish. The clever Fairy Tale Ending follows the re-telling of fairy tales gone wrong from the perspective of a coming-of-age Jill (of Jack and Jill fame). Written by Kieren MacMillan (who is also the remarkable pianist seen backstage) and Jeremy Hutton (who is also the Artistic Director at Hart House Theatre), the cast of nine run through the tales of Three Little Pigs, Goldilocks and the Three Bears, Three Billy Goats Gruff, and Little Red Riding Hood, with adorably sinister appearances by Jack (again, of Jack and Jill fame) throughout.

We see that fairy tales are, to say the least, optimistic, if not fantasy: that real life has no guarantees of happy endings, that real life is complicated and unpredictable.

The musical numbers are a riot, singing of addictions to porcine products, boastful vanity, and the merits of villainy, among other things. The numbers are beautifully composed and performed (Kieren MacMillan): clean, clear and catchy. There was a minor issue of the piano overpowering the vocals at times—particularly during Big Bad Wolf’s ballad—but at no time were the lyrics unclear. The entire cast is incredibly well-suited to their roles, but villains just don’t get slicker than Andrew Moyes’ Big Bad Wolf. The fedora, the fur-lined suit, and the accent—especially the accent—make his take on the Wolf one of vulnerable sophistication. And Maksym Shkvorets’ take on Jack is wonderfully twisted, striking just the right note of crazy. Credit must also go to Scott Penner for the fun costume design that gave the tales so much flavour, and for the simple effective set design to accommodate all of the storylines.

While the telling of these tampered fairy tales is hilarious, it is the whodunit aspect that makes it more than just a comedic corruption. We see that fairy tales are, to say the least, optimistic, if not fantasy: that real life has no guarantees of happy endings, that real life is complicated and unpredictable. Fairy Tale Ending is, in the end, actually saying something and saying it well, attested to by the spontaneous second round of applause after what was supposed to be the end of the show. I have not actually seen this happen with such unanimity before, but after a sustained second coming of applause, the audience had the chance to thank the clearly flattered and talented cast again for a great night out. Hats off to all involved; this is a fantastic production that ought to run past this weekend.

Fairy Tale Ending: The Big Bad Family Musical runs to June 9 at Wychwood Theatre.
Sixty-five minutes
Read Also: Kieren MacMillan on the creation of the play