The story of true love, is a message that is timeless. Boy meets girl, girl meets girl or in the musical parody adaptation of Metro Theatre’s next production, A Modern Fairy Tale, girl meets gender-neutral wolf and of course, falls in love.
First time writer-director Lisa Simon, boldly takes on contemporary themes in a traditional fashion with Orthros Theatre Company’s first large-scale, professional production. Enlisting the help of the fairy tale characters we know and love, Simon’s spin on happily-ever-after is told with a gender-fluid Peter Pan, in a land where Prince Cinder and Chuck Charming are hurriedly planning the last-minute royal ball.
Capilano Theatre graduate and professional actor Damon Jang takes on the role of the Mad Hatter, and explores what might have been, had he and Alice been more than foes.
“The idea is centered around non-traditional relationships,” Jang says, “with the message to remain positive in standing up for who you are, to be inclusive of others and discover and embrace family, friendship and love.”
In casting, Simon allowed each actor determine the gender of their character, thereby incorporating an LGBTQ theme to the show. A burlesque performer, Simon’s commitment to presenting a positive body image is evident in the priority it takes over more traditional directorial cues.
“The characters in our show are completely self-aware,” Jang explains, of the spontaneous nature of the show. “And, they’re aware anything could happen, at any time.”
That means an eruption of song and dance, cross-playing roles or references to modern-day internet-based humour. The pop-rock musical parody even includes beloved favourites, Aladdin and Jasmine and looks at issues of race within relationships between two humans, or as in this fantasy-like setting, between humans and non-humans.
“We’ve kept it light hearted, presenting these themes in a familiar, relatable way,” Jang says. “We hope the audience can draw the parallels between the stage and society. The world is changing and people should learn to change with it.”
• A Modern Fairy Tale runs Aug. 19-23 and Aug. 25-30 at Metro Theatre (1370 Marine Dr). Tickets are $20 (plus tax), available at tickets.metrotheatre.com.
