A Fairytale Ending Unlike Any Other

“Big Bad is sort of a ‘where are they now?’-look at some classic fairytale characters. After a previously botched trial (that happens when a giant steps on the courtroom!) the Big Bad Wolf is put on trial for his crimes. Little Red Riding Hood and Grandmother Hood, the Three Little Pigs, and the Boy who Cried Wolf, are represented by the ruthless Fairy Godmother, who despite her love of pink and fairy dust, is out to drain the Wolf dry, because after all, wolves are inherently bad. It seems the only one on Wolf’s side is The Evil Stepmother–and she’s only defending him because she got forced into probono work. Luckily for Wolf though, she’s a darn good lawyer, and as another character unquestioningly cast as the villain, begins to empathize with him. Can the Wolf and Evil Stepmother convince the court that it’s the uncaring world that corrupted this former vegan or will he pay for digesting a live human being (a felony!) and bullying pigs to the point of poor hygiene? The Grimm Sisters report to us live as the entire Enchanted Forest follows the story of our favorite characters as you’ve never seen them before!

Audiences can expect a modern, edgy twist on classic fairy tales that will engage all ages. I like to tell people it’s like “Shrek” meets Judge Judy. There are many layers of humor and quite a few interesting lessons. The Wolf talks about the way he has been shaped by a society which assumes he is bad, to the point where frustrated and alone, he begins to embody the beast everyone fears him to be. Classic characters are given a little more dimension: Little Red Riding Hood and the Boy Who Cried Wolf are actually spoiled brats, and the Three Little Pigs are lacking a few brain cells, with the exception of the 3rd pig, the only one who’s house meets local building codes. The Evil Stepmother questions plot points and exposes these characters for what they are in her examinations, finding a little more of herself along the way. It’s very engaging and challenges the audiences to reexamine how they think about these stories and characters- literally, because the audience is the jury! There are three possible outcomes and the audience decides each night whether the wolf is guilty or not! Each ending has its’ own twist as well, so nothing is ever what it appears to be. We’re really bringing the audience into the story.

I hope that this is a play that will start conversations within families about how appearances can be deceiving, and how everyone has a story: none of us are all good or all evil, but complex individuals. It’s accessible for everyone and like any good story, prompts us to think more about ourselves and our world.

We’ve gone beyond just courtroom too, and have created original commercials to expand the fairy tale world and give it a richer, more widespread identity as a place much like our world–only more magical. So far the show has been really fun because these are stories we’re all familiar with. It’s also fun to help the cast understand some of the legal jargon and proceedings. It also just reinforces for me how important stories are to cultures. We start with fairy tales. Reading and a love for stories do more than entertain us but help us to come together and reflect. I love that I can work on plays that challenge kids to think and that the age range in the cast doesn’t matter because the story is so important and it brings them all together with its’ universality.

–Kristen Pilgrim, Director