Mats Ek's Modern "Sleeping Beauty" Is A Recovering Junkie Making Her Own Happy Ending

Created by Damian Siqueiros for created for the 2013-2014 Season of Les Grands Ballets Canadiens of Montreal

Mats Ek's Sleeping Beauty - Les Grands Ballets Canadiens - 2013

CALGARY: OCT 31 - NOV 3, 2013/ EDMONTON: NOV 6-7, 2013

There are two acclaimed modern Sleeping Beauty ballet productions debuting this month. The first, by world renowned Swedish choreographer Mats Ek, although not a new work, is a new production and will be performed in Alberta (Canada) for the first time. The other (by English choreographer Matthew Bourne) is a brand new which debuted in the UK this past year and is deserving of its own separate post (which should post this weekend).

This modern Sleeping Beauty ballet (and this production) is by all reports unforgettable but despite using Tchaikovsky's lovely score (which I knew by heart at age 5) the issues and narrative centering around a recovering "girl interrupted" type character, mean this interpretation is definitely not for kids (at least not without adult supervision). There are also nods to that "other" half of Perrault's Sleeping Beauty (& The Sun, Moon & Talia) as she finds herself pregnant and bewildered upon awakening from her overdose, with her happily ever after still quite a journey away. The explorations of human psyche and inter personal relationships using the Sleeping Beauty tale have critics in agreement that this is a magnificent work. Because of the modern ballet medium and Mat Ek's humor, however, not everything is necessarily clear along the way to even balletically savvy audiences. For instance those three ladies on the sides of the image below are fairies, and (in past productions) the audience is treated to a recipe for fish broth by a chef who appears on stage, for what purpose exactly, I still haven't read a good explanation. Despite this, the interpretation is considered a modern masterpiece and not to be missed.

Mats Ek has a penchant for taking classic stories and modernizing them with a visceral and controversial edge, while still managing to contain a sense of humor (albeit a dark one). Images from his Giselle  - both fascinating and provoking - stay with me to this day. I'm told his Sleeping Beauty would likely do the same.

I love this summary of how the Sleeping Beauty tale is updated and the quotes by Mats Ek himself that it contains, explaining not only his approach to this ballet but to fairy tales in general:

Created in 1996 for Hamburg Ballet, Sleeping Beauty tells the modern story of Princess Aurora, now a rebellious teen who has fallen victim to the prick of a heroin needle and a menacing drug dealer who has no intention of saving her. Lifted by the stirring sounds of Tchaikovsky and Ek’s signature dark humour, audiences will dive into the many troubling and beautiful layers of the human psyche, exploring death, love, jealousy, revenge and happy endings with 30 dancers from Les Grands Ballets. “A fairy tale is like a pretty little house, but there’s a sign on the door saying ‘land mines! ’All fairy tales have things in common: princesses, witches, kings and queens, Good and Evil. But each one also has something unique about it, because inexplicable things happen. InSleeping Beauty, for me, this mysterious moment is the actual prick of the thorn, with the sleep that follows. What does this mean, and what is really going on? I have an irrepressible storytelling urge. Rereading myths, legends and fairy tales, discovering their obvious aspects, sabotaging them and re-creating them—in other words, taking them seriously—is to my mind an act of the greatest significance.” -Mats Ek Not recommended for children under 12

(Emphasis in bold is mine.)

Take a look at this lovely trailer for the upcoming production:

From The Montreal Gazette:

In Ek’s modern conception, Princess Aurora is a wilful modern woman whose rejection of society’s norms brings her under a spell cast not by a spiteful witch but by a male drug pusher. Aurora’s deep sleep is a result of a drug injection. Her recovery depends on rather more substantial therapy than a prince’s kiss. 

Nowadays, modernizing classic ballets is nothing new... But in 1982, when Ek staged his first classic ballet reworking, Giselle, it was a radical move in the dance world. In its original 1841 version, Giselle loses her mind, kills herself and returns as a spirit in a forest. Instead of a forest, Ek put Giselle in a mental institution. In 1987, he created a Swan Lake with baldheaded swans and a hero unsure of his sexuality. Sleeping Beauty, his final reworking of a major classic to date, was made in 1996 for Hamburg Ballet following an unexpected encounter in Zurich. 

“He was walking outside the Zurich Opera,” Monika Mengarelli recalled recently. Mengarelli is a veteran member of Cullberg Ballet who was in Montreal with its former artistic director, Margareta Lidstrom, to restage Sleeping Beauty, aided by Les Grands’ ballet mistress, Margret Kaufmann. “There’s a park where drug addicts liked to meet or sit. Mats saw a girl on a bench who was clearly an addict.” 

The girl’s plight was the kernel that grew into Sleeping Beauty. It was typical of Ek. All of his works are sparked by experiences grounded in the real world.

Here's the official write-up for the production from Les Grands Ballets Canadiens:

One of the world’s most acclaimed choreographers of the 20th Century, Swedish maverick Mats Ek’s trademark black humour comes to Alberta for the first time with Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montréal's riveting rendition of his Sleeping Beauty. Set to Tchaikovsky's spell-binding score, this adult fairytale takes Aurora on a quest for the unknown and is nothing short of astonishing. Created in an esthetic that is at once subversive, highly comical and yet deeply troubled, Mats Ek’s remarkable version of Princess Aurora’s mythical odyssey has been acclaimed and cherished around the world as one of the great choreographic masterpieces of the century. (Parental guidance is advised.)

If you love ballet and/or modern dance I recommend reading the full article at The Montreal Gazette which details some of the dancers' challenges in executing Ek's choreography and narrative as opposed to the traditionally grueling technical challenges of Petipa's traditional ballet version of Sleeping Beauty.

You can find information about tickets and times HERE.

Rachel Wise's Cynical (or, in her words, "F'd Up") Fairy Tales

"I think I have some sort of irrational need to mess with childhood stories." ~ R. Wise

Although fairy tale folk won't be new to these concepts, you can bet they're shocking the pants off people who never considered fairy tales could have a dark side outside of the horror genre. I was surprised to see such a strong reaction over at The Mary Sue (a popular geek girls online water cooler) so I thought you should see what's raising eyebrows over there today.

Illustrator Rachel Wise is clearly comics-influenced and to discover she majored in graphic design makes sense. These images are from her Tumblr blog, which is sort of her public sketchbook, and you can find additional dark ever afters for The Little Mermaid, Beauty & the Beast, Goldilocks and Alice there too. (Note: The Little Mermaid is probably classed as NSFW but the content isn't sexual, just a little nekkid. Just a heads up.)

With her unhappily ever afters have been profiled on The Mary Sue (which is guaranteed insta-fame - at least for a week), I'll be interested to see if Ms. Wise illustrates any more of her twisted fairy tale endings. I hope so.

Disney Picks Up "Happily Ever After" (Note: This is NEW news. Not a repeat of yesterdays, I promise)

Yes. I admit it. I nearly missed this completely because I thought I told you about this yesterday. Except that it's new for today and a totally different project. Totally. Really.

The only thing is that the exclusive news from The Hollywood Reporter doesn't mention if it's a movie or a TV series. Right now, all the language suggests "movie" so I'll run with that.

(Disney) has picked up (the fairy tale comedy) Happily Ever After, a pitch from Nahnatchka Khan, the creator of Don’t Trust the B---- in Apartment 23, that has Reese Witherspoon attached to star. 

Witherspoon is also on board to produce with her Pacific Standard partner Bruna Papandrea. John Jacobs of Smart Entertainment is also producing. 

The idea is to catch up with a prince and princess about 10 years after they have ridden off into the sunset for their "happily ever after." The couple discovers that even in fairy-tale land, you have to work to keep your relationship and your life together.

And Reese Witherspoon gets to be a Disney princess. Finally.

(Remember when Brave was still The Bear & the Bow and wasn't quite Disney yet? She was almost-Merida for a while there but missed her opportunity to be added to the Disney equivalent of the Bond-girls canon.)

But Ms. Witherspoon isn't a stranger to fairy tale movies. She's been in a few before, just never as a princess (which is odd, really, because she has been compared to Cinderella more than once, yet I had to resort to perfume ads for a Reese-as-princess look).

It will be quite a departure from Freeway... (understatement of the year) or even her role in Penelope (as a supporting character, although she produced on that fairy tale too - one worth seeing by the way, if you haven't already; sweet, simple, solid).

Although it will be nice to see something focusing on fairy tales AFTER a wedding (life after a fairy tale wedding? Is there such a thing Disney? You never told us..) but is it just me, or do I feel like I'm suddenly drowning in fairy tale comic light, courtesy of Disney?

Although it would actually be very refreshing to see somebody take on the problems inherent in getting a real "happily ever after" for the rest of the prince and princesses' lives, I'm not truly confident that Disney is able to handle comedy with serious issues depth that could actually make this good. (Sorry. But happily-ever-after is the seriously difficult part of fairy tales and it's just not as exciting or visually spectacular - usually - as the rescue-the-prince, er, princess part and firework-worthy nuptials.)

With all the other fairy tale projects in development and production right now it feels like something else that got pushed out of the fairy tale franchise room as a half-formed idea. Did somebody spill some bibbidi-bobbidi-boo dust in the water cooler there or is everyone getting bitten by Enchanted bugs? Seriously, it's getting a little bizarre...

Here's hoping Ms. Witherspoon's recent "life experience" will help inform her in how to go about making this project both smart and satisfying (while still keeping the attention of Disney dreamers).

A little note on the emerging trend of fairy tale musical comedy & associated bandwagons: 

I should probably just shut up and be over-the-moon happy we'll be discussing fairy tales in popular culture for some time to come, right?

Although part of me is happy about that, my bigger concern is that the intensity of fairy tale image rewrites at present are once again changing the way we - (society/pop culture/"we the people") - will be viewing fairy tales in the future.

I had hoped with the darker re-visioning and anti-hero views, that it would have paved the way for people to rediscover the older tales once again and perhaps be writing/telling a few more, new ones, of their own (like Angela Carter did). I think it had started to, but that movement barely got off the ground before being suddenly awash in grownup glitter. The musical comedy bandwagon is being jumped on with rather desperate enthusiasm by Disney at present and it feels very much like an attempt to take back that "fairy tale crown" - ie all things fairy tale must belong to Disney. It's almost as if we're getting an intensified concentration of the princess/enchanted life culture again, but this time it's aimed at adults. Unfortunately, I know all those mothers who are horrified their little girls are choosing Monster High over Barbie will happily sign on to this trend.

Myself, I find it a little disturbing. *checks night sky for wishing stars to put to work on changing this*

Theater: Angela Carter's "Hairy Tales" Starting This Week

Poster Angela Carter's "Hairy Tales" by Imaginary Beasts (2013)
Writer Angela Carter kidnapped the fairy tale and took it to a very dark place -- darker than even the gloomy depths of the Black Forest where the stories themselves were born. Although the characters of her tales are familiar, the stakes are much higher, the violence much bloodier and the politics far more radical. Now director Matthew Woods presents Hairy Tales, a dramatization of Carter's most terrifying takes on works of the Brothers Grimm and Charles Perrault. This adults-only show features Vampirella, a Gothicized version of "Sleeping Beauty" tinged with bloodlust, and The Company of Wolves, a harrowing adaptation where Little Red Riding Hood discovers the beast ... within. (Goldstar)

I'd buy in ticket in a heartbeat if I had any way of getting to Boston. It's almost showtime but there's still a couple of days before it debuts to get tickets.

Here's what's happening in a nutshell:

There's an adults-only theatrical presentation and exploration of Angela Carter's fairy tale short stories and radio plays (by theater company Imaginary Beasts) AND a complimentary, family-friendly presentation (by Wee Beasties) of Carter's Puss In Boots.

WHEN: October 4 - 26, 2013

Angela Carter collage tribute

If you'd like a refresher on Angela Carter and her work I recommend these two articles for starters (and then go re-read The Bloody Chamber & Other Stories at the very least):

 - Marina Warner on Why Angela Carter's Bloody Chamber Still Bites (an edited extract of Marina Warner’s introduction to the Folio Society edition of Angela Carter’s The Bloody Chamber and other Stories)
"Carter’s fairy-tale heroines reclaim the night."

 - Femme Fatale (from The Guardian - Angela Carter's subversive take on traditional fairy stories in The Bloody Chamber is as shocking today as when the collection first appeared in 1979)
"The Bloody Chamber is often wrongly described as a group of traditional fairy tales given a subversive feminist twist. In fact, these are new stories, not re-tellings. As Angela Carter made clear, "My intention was not to do 'versions' or, as the American edition of the book said, horribly, 'adult' fairy tales, but to extract the latent content from the traditional stories and to use it as the beginnings of new stories."

I'm pasting most of the blurb from the Hairy Tales Facebook Event Page below so you have all the info ASAP and am putting some of it in bold to help you get the gist of this awesome sounding piece of theater:

___________________________________________

 "...the grey beasts howled among
the rows of winter cabbage as she
freely gave him the kiss she owned
him." by Fay Huo

Now is the time the wild beasts come out, now is the savage time of year… Shut the shutters! Bar the door! Throw more logs on the fire! Make a great blaze! Keep the wolves outside! 

And come. Be cozy by the fire as we spin for you twisted tales of terror inspired by the vivid imagination of Angela Carter. “Sleeping Beauty” becomes a Gothic tale of blood lust in Vampirella, and in The Company of Wolves, Little Red Riding Hood discovers the beast within.  

This double-bill re-imagines fairy stories of yore, challenging your perceptions. 

Considered one of the most influential British writers of the post-WWII era, Angela Carter was prolific and adventurous in her art. One of her favorite forms was the radio play. The Beasts will offer audiences the experience of "hearing" a radio play while witnessing strange, dream-like live performances. 

Artistic Director Matthew Woods helms the production as auteur/director. The production will feature original music by composer Sam Beebe and the dark and whimsical designs of IRNE award winner Cotton Talbot-Minkin.  

Laura Kerridge

To complement this adults-only exploration, Wee Beasties, an off-shoot of Imaginary Beasts geared towards audiences of all ages, will offer family-friendly matinees of Carter’s comic romp, Puss In Boots, directed by company member and fringe favorite Michael Underhill.

Imaginary Beasts is part of the Emerging Theatre Company program at the Boston Center for the Arts.
WHEN: October 4 - 26, 2013

Thursdays at 7:30 pm, Fridays & Saturdays at 8:00 pm

There will be a special Wednesday performance on October 23, at 7:30 pm. 

There will be two special Pay What You Can nights on the 2nd and 3rd Thursdays during the run, available in person at the box office only.

Written by: Angela Carter
Directed by: Matthew W. Woods

(Note: more cast and crew listed on the event page)  

_______________________________________________________________________

About imaginary beasts:
http://www.imaginarybeasts.org/

imaginary beasts...
...is an incubator for adventurous theatre making.

We provide our members a unique chance to explore and develop theatre in an ongoing studio environment.

Devoted to pushing the boundaries of how theatre is made and who can make it, we bring together traditional and non-traditional performance artists to produce work for an eclectic public.

______________________________________

Elizabeth Moriarty

A little more information about the show from BroadwayWorld:

"Vampirella," a sparkling and startling reimagining of Sleeping Beauty, introduces us to a virginal Hero who is making a trip through the Carpathians. Along the way he is taken into the home of the Lady Nosferatu, whose ancestors haunt the castle as she struggles with her desire for love and her desire to drain the Hero. In "The Company of Wolves," old Granny tells horrifying stories of werewolves meant to caution her granddaughter against wicked men. However, the stories only fuel her imagination and desires, leading to an inevitable encounter with the Wolf. In Puss in Boots, everyone's favorite feline trickster helps his master find love in the most unlikely of scenarios.

Why do we not see more Carter-inspired presentations?

I've seen a few nods to her work via illustrations and paintings in galleries but rarely any performance art and nothing really in film beyond A Company Of Wolves in 1984 (can you believe that was nearly 30 years ago??). Too visceral, perhaps? I don't know. It would definitely need a smart and sensitive director with a delicate touch  - whether for theater or film - to balance all the necessary elements but Hairy Tales sounds like a very exciting project to be involved with. I really wish I could see it. 

I do hope there are some write-ups, reviews and possibly some photos from the show afterward. I'll keep my eyes peeled.

Once Upon A Musical? (ABC Orders a New Fairy Tale Musical Comedy Pilot)

Enchanted's Prince Edward

Take some Once Upon A Time, add a (liberal) dash of Alan Menken, grab some Glee fans, a few extra princes and princesses, find an ABC prime time family slot and voila! You have the formula for ABCs next ordered pilot.

And it shall be called "Galavant".

Here's (a mash-up of) the announcement(s):

Galavant is a musical comedy from Dan Fogelman, who created ABC’s The Neighbors—perhaps the most unheralded turnaround story from last season—and also wrote Crazy Stupid Love. Music and lyrics will come from legendary composer Alan Menken and lyricist Glenn Slater. It won’t be the first time the trio works together, as it previously collaborated on Disney's Tangled, as well as a musical episode of The Neighbors.It centers on the handsome Prince Galavant, who is looking to fight for his one true love. Unfortunately, a king stole her and Galavant is out for revenge. (Sources: Variety, AV Club &  Celebrity Cafe)

ABC (and Disney) are going all out in fairy tale rehash land right now. We have Once Upon A Time going to Neverland and new spin-off Once Upon A Time In Wonderland debuting, a live action reboot of Cinderella (spring-boarding off the animated classic by the way), Maleficent being the anti-hero du jour, soon to be followed by Cruella de Vil in the same vein (as confirmed yesterday) and if that goes well I going to predict Ursula as next antihero cap off the rank, considering their brand new villainess cosmetic line - in which Ursula apparently got a hold of some sort of Slim Fast potion... (topic for another day...!)

Bizarre? Yes. Surprising? No.

Since Glee's smashing success, which manages to tap into both popular prime time viewer popularity and geek-extreme fan-bases we've seen musical specials and episodes increase their frequency of appearance. When Nashville proved it could easily holding it's own musical niche on TV, (and Disney suddenly noticed enthusiasm for Enchanted hadn't waned at all but that people were eagerly awaiting news of just when the sequel would be greenlit) it wasn't too surprising that Disney started looking to add a family fairy tale musical project to their slate.

I just don't know if it's going to be truly awesome or truly terrible.

TV writing and production is crazy-fast and musical comedy is one of the hardest genres to successfully write (both in terms of lyrics and music, let alone for a weekly series) but I wish the team luck (a lot of it).

They certainly look like they're going to make a serious go of trying to make this good and if Menken is adding his name you know they're sure this is at least possible to do well (and not ruin his reputation of eight Oscars and counting).

So what do you think?

Could you handle another fairy tale series, a la musical comedy style?

Free Preview "Once Upon A Time In Wonderland" (the first 20 mins anyway)

Naveen Andrews as Jafar (in genie form and still causing trouble)

I'm not sure if you guys are excited about this spin-off or not. I'm... waiting-and-seeing myself... BUT if you're super excited and want a preview (and aren't going to drive yourself mad by not being able to see the rest of the episode) you can click below for a free preview of the first 20 minutes of the first episode.

New Little Mermaid Posters by Tom Whalen for Mondo

On Thursday last week, in honor of the Diamond Edition Blu-ray release of The Little Mermaid, on October 1st (today), Mondo released two new posters by Tom Whalen, who's re-imagined many beautiful posters for Disney movies.

They're going to be tough to find, being limited edition and even if you get first prints, they're pricey already. No doubt we'll see additional artwork from more affordable sources with the Blu-ray release and the theater screenings.

It's interesting that this time round the darker aspects of the story are being emphasized as opposed to the dreamier ones that dominated in the nineties. That definitely tracks with the current iterations of fairy tale retellings that are currently popular. I find that fascinating.

Enzo D’Alò's "Pinocchio" Nominated for 2013 European Film Awards

From altfg:

The European Film Academy has announced the three nominees in the 2013 European Film Awards’ Best Animated Feature Film category (including) Pinocchio (from Italy / Luxembourg / France / Belgium), directed by Enzo D’Alò, from a screenplay by D’Alò and Umberto Marino. Animation by Marco Zanoni.

This is quite a feat, really, considering just how many times Pinocchio has been animated for children in Europe (in particular), so there must be something quite special about this one.

The film is fairly simple looking, especially compared to the visual feasts we've gotten used to, thanks to Pixar and the ongoing attempts by Disney, Dreamworks and other animation studios to present feats and visuals never-before-seen on screen. Simplicity is, as a result, often underrated (especially in the US) but European animation companies are still creating magical works without implementing fancy effects or boasting advances in technical achievements. 

Fro the looks of the trailer, D'Alò's Pinocchio is one of these.

Take a look (subtitled):

I'm still very curious to see Guillermo del Toro's animated Pinocchio, which is still quietly in production. His filmic sensibilities are still not entirely Hollywood and often refreshing as a result, despite being rather awe inspiring visually-speaking (and his story telling has a tendency to remain solid as well). With multiple versions of Pinocchio in the works (both in live action and animation) it will be interesting to see what resonates with audiences these days.

Autumn at Oz

The Land of Oz exists!

But it's abandoned.

Except for one day every year... on October 5.

I only found out this theme park existed this last year (past tense, as it's no longer active and open to the public) and discovered only this week that there's an annual "reunion/get together" for past employees and guests! That reunion day is next weekend and is called Autumn at Oz. 2013 marks the 20th anniversary of this special - almost secret - event.

This weekend, October 5th and 6th, the park is open for the 20th anniversary of "Autumn at Oz". It's only open once a year for a reunion of former employees and past guests. In 2009, over 8,000 people attended. Every year more characters return and more vendors show up. All proceeds go to upkeep and preservation. So, if you're in the area, drop by for a stroll through the poppy field. [Emerald Mtn]

The park is currently used as a setting for (lucky people's) weddings, parties and photoshoots and - get this - vacations! (Yes you can stay in Dorothy's house and walk the yellow brick road after breakfast!)
 
I'm sure it's just a coincidence I can suddenly think of some very important reasons to visit North Carolina...

(Don't you love this house? The interior is all at a slant as well, complete with furniture and curtains stuck at permanently odd angles and a certain set of striped stockinged legs poking out somewhere close by.)

Most people, however, have forgotten this even exists, possibly due to it's unfortunate history and timing of events when it was getting going.

The Land of Oz theme park was open from 1970 to 1980 and it's opening day saw over 20,000 visitors. Guests enjoyed strolling down the Yellow Brick Road, and hanging out with the Cowardly Lion, Scarecrow, Tin Man and the Wicked Witch of the West. Afterwards, there was a show at the Emerald City, complete with a balloon ride, which was actually a modified ski lift. Visitors could enjoy a breathtaking view of the park amidst Beech Mountain's gorgeous scenery. Unfortunately the death of the original owner before the park opened and a mysterious fire in 1975 marred the initial success of the park and it closed suddenly in 1980. Now, the Yellow Brick Road is missing a few of its bricks, but most of the park is still there, albeit in various states of disrepair. (Source)

Part of the reason for Autumn at Oz is not only to keep the memories alive but to help support and fund the upkeep of the park's unique structures. (Check HERE for some amazing photos from the park's development.) Everyone is now welcome to attend and stroll through poppy fields and munchkin lands with other Oz-philes for one special day.

There's a lovely book of black and white photos of this "abandoned" theme park for purchase HERE (see cover above).

You can find out more about the location, the history and options to visit and stay HERE.

Visiting here has just gone on my bucket list. (I might need a new pair of silver - or perhaps ruby - slippers for the trip... )

Once Upon A Time Season 3 Premiere Tonight

Set your DVRs: One Upon A Time is off to Neverland tonight at 8/7c. (If you can't wait till then you can get a premiere preview HERE.)