Melbourne Reviews

Spells, rules and the fourth wall are consistently broken in this chaotic retelling of some of the Grimm Brother’s most famous fairy tales.

Presented by Shake & Stir Theatre Co, who have previously presented the award-winning productions of Frankenstein, 1984 and Fantastic Mr Fox, GRIMM continues the literary theme by investigating the darker origins of the Brothers Grimm’s famous tales.

With over 200 stories to choose from, adaptors Nelle Lee and Daniel Evans have whittled it down to a handful of interweaving tales, including Little Red Riding Hood, Beauty and the Beast, Rumpelstiltskin, Cinderella and The Robber Bridegroom. It’s an impressive feat to take on the centuries-old fairy tales beloved by audiences across the globe.

For many, this production will reveal the more sinister themes of the original stories collected in the early 19th century for the very first time. More accustomed to the Walt Disney cartoons from the 1940s and beyond, the Brothers Grimm were made far more family friendly with the more violent aspects removed. Walt Disney’s Cinderella may not have been so popular had they kept in the stepsisters cutting off their toes to fit the glass slipper and traumatising generations of children (especially given millennials are still processing Mufasa’s death from The Lion King in 1994).

Performed by a multi-talented cast of Aljin Abella, Helen Cassidy, Nelle Lee and Henry Rollo, all are exceptionally strong in their multiple roles. Aljin Abella shines as both the wickedly devious Rumpelstiltskin and the misunderstood Beast. Leaning into the chaos, his comedic timing and physicality work perfectly in this hectic style of performance. Nelle Lee is bawdy and brash as Red Riding Hood but also delivers a particularly tender moment puppeteering a fawn, and her wolf counterpart Henry Rollo adds some camp cabaret flair. Helen Cassidy gets a variety of meaty roles, but her turn as the wicked witch is pitch perfect, giving audiences some of the biggest laughs of the night.

While the concept is there and the performances are strong, the production does feel messy. Attempting to walk the line between serious and silly, GRIMM dips in dinner-theatre territory with some of the more pantomime-esque elements. The performers were also dealing with sound issues on the night which took away from the overall polish of the production.

GRIMM is a fun show with a lot to like, especially if you don’t take your fairy tales too seriously. However, in trying to reach the widest possible audience, it’s trying to do too much within the 90-minute run time. Instead of focusing on an overarching plot, the complex twists and turns, not to mention the implied knowledge of Grimm’s tales, make for a confusing narrative that never quite finds its way to a happy ending.