Fairy Tale Ending (Roll Your Own Theatre) – 2010 Toronto Fringe Review

By Amber Landgraff

If you are looking for a Fringe show that is both kid and adult friendly, look no further than Fairy Tale Ending, presented by Roll Your Own Theatre.  This little gem, tucked away in the FringeKids! listings is fun for all ages.

The story starts with the revelation that there is something wrong in Fairy Tale Land.  The endings to all of Jill’s favorite fairy tales are changing.  Using well known fairy tales like the Three Little Pigs, Goldilocks and the Three Bears, and the Billy Goats Gruff, the show offers surprising twist unhappily ever after endings.

Jill turns to a hardboiled detective for help in determining what is causing the changes, offering an eyewitness account to the crimes of the Big Bad Wolf, Goldilocks, and the Troll.  Christina Gordon and Meagan Tuck shine in their performances of Cop and Jill.

The whole cast is strong and their energy is amazing to watch.  Carl Swanson, Adrian Shepherd-Gawinski, and Mike Wisniowski are hilarious as the biggest, the middlest, and the littlest characters in all three screwed up fairy tales.  Any show that makes use of the word middlest is great in my books.

The songs are smart and catchy.   I particularly enjoyed the song “Jill, You Don’t Know Jack” and the opening number that went a little something like this, “Rumplestiltskin kidnaps babies,
Snow White choked on an apple core,
Little Red Riding Hood contracted rabies,
Cinderella was just too poor.”  With lyrics like that, the show had me wishing for unhappy endings.

If you want a happy ending of your own, grab a kid and go see the show.  Don’t have a kid?  Go with a friend, or go by yourself.  Just go!  Fairy Tale Ending is pure fun from beginning to end.

Details:

Fairy Tale Ending is playing at the Palmerston Library Theatre (560 Palmerston Avenue)

60 min.

Fri, July 2 4:45 PM – 3008
Sat, July 3 4:15 PM – 3013
Sun, July 4 2:00 PM – 3018
Mon, July 5 11:00 AM – 3021
Wed, July 7 2:30 PM – 3034
Thu, July 8 5:30 PM – 3041
Fri, July 9 11:00 AM – 3042
Sat, July 10 3:45 PM – 3051

– All individual Fringe tickets are $10 ($5 for FringeKids) at the door (cash only). Tickets are available online at www.fringetoronto.com, by Phone at 416-966-1062, in person at The Randolph Centre for the Arts, 736 Bathurst Street (Advance tickets are $11 ($10+$1 convenience fee)

– Several money-saving passes are available if you plan to see at least 5 shows