'Sleeping Beauty' Puppet Opera Brought to Life (Size) by 'King Kong' s Joe Blanck

Victorian Opera stages Respighi's Sleeping Beauty with full size puppets designed & built by Joe Blanck

When I look at what's happening in the world right now, it just seems to me that there is no better time to have a kind of narrative that says 'things are awful, but they will get better'.

[Director, Nancy Black]

We first saw mention of this new version of Ottorino Respighi's Opera some time ago but the poster (pictured at bottom of post) just didn't grab our attention. It wasn't until we realized there was a unique and new puppetry element to this opera that we became intrigued.

When we found out Joe Blanck (of the impressive King Kong musical and the award winning Walking with Dinosaurs stage show) was involved, and that these puppets (originally marionettes) were now larger than life, we took a closer look. What ultimately sold us on the production was hearing and reading what Director Nancy Black had to say about the themes of the tale she intended to bring out, and what she felt Sleeping Beauty had to offer us in this current social climate. That her approach was also intriguing, being inspired by Kay Neilsen's work and incorporating newly designed larger-than-life puppets by Blanck, became a bonus. 

Blanck himself also shed an interesting light on their interpretation of the tale: 

“Sleeping Beauty is not your typical love story,” Blanck says. “It’s more about the tragedy, and how people deal with that. Those are the things we’re trying to bring to the surface of the story.” 

Director Nancy Black has conceived a production which sees a group of people joining together to tell a story after some kind of traumatic event. They conjure up the tale of Sleeping Beauty out of thin air.“ 

We’ve kind of left it open to interpretation, creating a community of people come together — whether they’re poor or refugees or something else, it’s not really said,” Blanck says.“ 

That happens at so many events, whether it be at a funeral, or in the aftermath of something else entirely — people come together and tell stories.” (Daily Review)

Nancy Black goes into a little more detail in the video below (it gives a wonderful overview and sneak peeks at the visuals in motion). 

The educational materials Victorian Opera are making available online for free, lead on well from her introduction. (Link at the end so you can download the whole package for yourself.)

(The whole Education Resource is available to download HERE.)

An interview Victorian Opera posted with Director Nancy Black explains further why she's so passionate about this version of Sleeping Beauty. Here are some excerpts:

In 2017, you’ll be returning to Victorian Opera to direct another forgotten gem of the early 20th century with Respighi’s The Sleeping Beauty. What have you enjoyed about discovering this opera? 

Oh my goodness.  So much.  First of all the music is beautiful, very lyrical, and also funny. The opera is filled with interesting characters- from the lovers to animals to satirical representatives of capitalism. It is romantic but also lightly nuanced with philosophical and even political references.  At the beginning Respighi seems to be taking us through a traditional rendition of a well known fairy tale, but then his narrative leaps forward in time to what he imagined would be 1940, and he incorporates mid- 20th Century dance rhythms. Our vision for the work needs to incorporate all of those elements!  What an exciting challenge! 

 

You’ve worked extensively with puppetry in the past and will be working alongside production designer Joe Blanck to create this fascinating blend of opera and puppetry. How are you planning to approach the production? 

After reading the libretto, I knew I wanted to approach this work as though it was a community of people telling a story.  It is a village. Maybe they have come through hard times.  When Respighi wrote this Italy was still struggling with the aftermath of WWI and the devastation of the Spanish Flu. In setting the celebratory end in 1940, he could not have known what lay ahead. 

I am fascinated by our human need for story. Even before mankind had written language, we have used stories as a tool for bringing order out of chaos, for giving us meaning when reason has failed, for instilling hope. 

In our production, a group gathers around a fire; it’s a lovely night.  An ember leaps into the air. It becomes a nightingale puppet, whose song is picked up by one of the singers.  The story unfolds as a combined effort with some taking the singing parts, others the puppetry. Together they tell a story that initially takes them away from their present into a beautiful fantasy, but then weaves itself back into their reality.  

I don’t want to give away too many details, but our creative team that includes Joe, Ben Cobham, Philip Lethlean and Michelle Heaven are devising a production design that draws inspiration from the exquisite illustrations of Kay Nielsen and organic shapes from our forests.  The puppetry will use several forms, always provoking and teasing the imagination, with circus and dance skills adding to what we hope will be a visual delight.

(FTNH Ed: Puppetry, circus and dance?! We're in!)

Nancy Black, from the Victorian Opera Educational Material

 Phoebe Briggs is the conductor for the show (there is a live orchestra, as well as singers) and shared in a different interview with Limelight Magazine, why she thinks this production is likely to appeal. Respighi apparently composed the opera with a young audience in mind and though it has some darker themes, as fairy tales tend to, it's designed to have family appeal. Here are some excerpts from that interview, the whole of which will particularly appeal to those with music training:

Is this something that a child today could attend? 

Yes, absolutely. Each character is clearly defined musically and children will certainly be able to follow the story very easily, and will be swept along by the storytelling of the puppets and singers.

Many audience members are only really familiar with Respighi through his tone poems. What might surprise them about the composer of this opera? 

I think what will surprise the audience is Respighi’s ability to jump effortlessly from style to style and from mood to mood. He inserts a Cakewalk or Foxtrot in amongst the neoclassical Marches and Minuets to keep the audience on their toes and this really shows Respighi’s sense of humour shining through. The tone poems are large expansive works whereas his writing here is more compact. He uses styles that are familiar but inserts unexpected harmonies and syncopations to give a modern feel to the work. 

Respighi notably had a real sense of humour when composing The Sleeping Beauty. There are plenty of musical allusions and parodic elements in the score – what has it been like discovering them with the orchestra? 

I’ve had a few laugh-out-loud and ‘oooh’ moments when I realised what Respighi was quoting, as well as the slow recognition of more subtle moments that he has borrowed from other works. I feel that rather than being direct parodies they are compliments to other composers and intended to trigger memories and emotions for the audience.

Here's the official trailer, which gives you a very brief preview of the music as well, though it doesn't grasp the range of Respighi's accessible score:

To further pique your interest, here's a list of characters for the story:

Characters & Cast

The Nightingale Zoe Drummond

The Cuckoo Shakira Tsindos

The Frog/The Spindle Kirilie Blythman

The Ambassador Timothy Newton

The Blue Fairy Elizabeth Barrow

The Jester/Mister Dollar Timothy Reynolds

The Green Fairy Juel Riggall

The King Raphael Wong

The Queen/The Cat Sally Wilson

The Old Lady/The Duchess Liane Keegan

The Princess Jacqueline Porter

The Woodcutter Stephen Marsh

The Prince Carlos E. Bárcenas

A Villager Tomas Dalton

Note: For those local to this production, please note there are also Audio Described Performances and Tactile Tours which are kid friendly too.

You can download a copy of the program, detailing the synopsis and each of the performers, along with letters from the Director, Artistic Director and the Conductor HERE.

We've included a lot of detail and behind-the-scenes, since many of our readers won't have the opportunity to visit Melbourne, Victoria (Australia) to see this production, which is a shame, since we think it would be well received wherever it traveled. (We hope a tour is on the cards!) 

If you're fortunate enough to see this opera and would like to write a review for OUABlog, please let us know. We'd love to hear what an audience member thought of this production.

Victorian Opera
An all-new production of Ottorino Respighi's 1922 reimagining of Sleeping Beauty

11 – 18 March

Arts Centre Melbourne, Playhouse

11, 14, 15, 17 March 7:30pm18 March 1:00pm

The 'Other' Little Mermaid Just Got A Trailer

Do you remember us mentioning a live action Little Mermaid film, involving Poppy Drayton (Shannara Chronicles), in our -Little-Mermaid-films-in-the-works round-up last October? (You can find that post, listing them all HERE) Well that film  [- NOT DISNEY FOLKS! -] just got a trailer - and it looks... interesting. There's a bit of magic, a circus* and, of course, a mermaid. Not sure how much of the story is based on HCA's tale (difficult to see evidence of that here) but we can see how it might be inspired by it - a little.

Press release:

The first trailer for the live-action version of The Little Mermaid from Conglomerate Media and Kingsway Productions has just been released. This is not Disney’s film, but is based on the famed fairytale from Hans Christian Andersen and stars a solid cast: Shirley MacLaine, Downton Abbey‘s Poppy Drayton, William Moseley (The Chronicles of Narnia), Loreto Peralta (Instructions Not Included) and Gina Gershon (Empire). The film is being planned for release this year. 

Take a look:

There must be more to it than we see here, as fantasy-fun and fairy tale-ish as this seems, especially if they're insisting it's based on Andersen's fairy tale. Whatever the case, it looks like a neat, magical family film.

*It actually reminds us a little of She Creature, with the 'mermaid trapped in a carnival' setting (a much better 'creature feature', resulting from an HBO contest, than you would think - trailer at link). We're guessing the course this movie takes is a full 180 turn away from where She Creature ended up going..! (The link takes you to a fan-made music video that explores the themes without the gore.) If you like darker movies, this one is recommended - lovely production, fantastic (known) cast and well developed story. Not for kids though!

Theater: 'Ladies in Black' Tells A Fresh Feminist 50's Cinderella Tale (but could use more color)

In 1950s Sydney when the city is on the cusp of becoming cosmopolitan, young high school graduate Lisa takes a holiday job at Goodes, the most prestigious department store in town. In that summer of innocence, a world of possibilities opens up as she befriends the ladies of the women’s frocks department – including her new mentor, the exotic European Magda, mysterious mistress of the dresses. (Press release)

Based on Madeleine St. Johns' novel The Women in Black, this musical has more fairy tale leanings than first meets the eye. Say 'Cinderella' and you immediately think rags-to-riches (or riches-to-rags-to-riches), dreams coming true and fairy tale makeovers, but Ladies in Black may just change your view on that fairy tale. (Hint: It's not about the dress. Or the man.)

A description from The Age says it best:

The plot takes us back to Sydney in the early 1960s, where Lisa, a bright and bookish school leaver, has her horizons broadened after taking a summer job at an upmarket department store. 

 

She's soon selling frocks surrounded by working women: her hair-perfect boss Miss Cartwright , the unhappily married Patty, romantically frustrated Fay and quietly heartbroken Miss Jacobs . 

 

But it is the keeper of model gowns – a larger-than-life Hungarian called Magda  – who acts as Lisa's fairy godmother, sharing her love of literature and encouraging her desire to go to university, while warding off the ugly stepsisters of 1950s Australia: the entrenched chauvinism and blinkered monoculture that threaten to smother a smart young woman's future. (FTNH: Emphasis ours.)

This Australian view of the 1950's shows feminism on the cusp of becoming a movement and the changing world view, especially among young women. At the same time, the Antipodes was full of post-war European immigrants and refugees trying to find a way to call Australia home, and the currents of change seem to buffet everyone, no matter where they were in the system. Unfortunately, the portrayal of those forces and tensions in this musical, is still, essentially very "white", leaving the potential of the story wading in the shallows. With a title that includes the words 'ladies' and 'black' together, in today's world, it almost underscores the fact of how white this show actually is. The lack of POC and indigenous peoples in this story is glaring, despite that it accurately reflects the suburban department store culture (which was privileged and white), but this reality is never challenged or questioned, when, especially today, it should. Perhaps it's something that could be considered for future productions to give the show more depth, and perhaps create a tale that is not just a fresh and fun reflection on the past, and challenges the idea of 'fairytale dreams', but has something important to say today as well.

Despite this unfortunate omission, Ladies in Black does a fine job on other issues and is a fresh take on an often tired Cinderella theme. It pays lovely homage to both the camaraderie of women in this time period as well as their resilience under a patriarchal system that was just starting to come under pressure to change (and coming up against those who didn't want it), and that's not insignificant, especially in a time when it appears those advances in society still aren't as 'normal' as they should be.

LADIES IN BLACK

Music & Lyrics by Tim Finn, book by Carolyn Burns

Queensland Theatre Company

Regent Theatre - Melbourne, VIC

Until March 18

Guest Post: 'Five Fairy Tale Films & Their Forgotten Beginnings' by Diamond Grant

Every year we find ourselves watching feature films based on classic tales throughout the seasons, some of which relate better to winter, others more fitting for summer. It's inevitable we'll discover new fairy tale films as part of our culture.

By the time most people hear about fairy tales, they've been turned into huge cinematic films, but we often forget their humble beginnings. Some of the most popular and loved films that have made their way into most families’ favorite collections all started as lesser-known fairy tales.

Some stories were adapted or loosely based upon original tales and characters from writings, while others stayed truer to the story that not. It's worth paying homage to where these beloved films originated, and to possibly learn some lesser known facts of how they made it to the big screen.

Let's start with one you probably know well, both as film and tale. Will we still be able to surprise true fairy tale fans here with some forgotten facts? Let's find out!

The Little Mermaid

Disney's 'The Little Mermaid' development art

We're all familiar with the feature Disney film The Little Mermaid. Not so many know it started out as a lengthy tale written by Hans Christian Andersen. A master storyteller, Andersen's stories are the source for many of the household fairy tale films we've all come to adore today. The film stays true to the written story in many of the main parts; however, there are some differences between the tale and movie that are startling.

The comedic characters Sebastian, Scuttle and Flounder, while great additions to the film, do not appear in the original, although the little mermaid is described as being so friendly with the fish of the sea that they would eat out of her hand, much like stereotypical land princesses who are friendly with forest creatures. Less well known is that in Andersen's tale the little mermaid ultimately discovers she needs a soul (apparently merpeople aren't gifted with them) so she can avoid a foamy death after living for 300 years in the sea. To win the love of a human is the only way she's able to gain an immortal soul. In the film, she spots Eric, whom she falls for after seeing him for the first time but there's no complication of needing a soul. She'd be happy just to have legs - and Eric, of course. Ursula, who tempts Ariel with this possibility, is portrayed in the film as a witch who has her own agenda and actively wants to make life difficult for the mermaid. In the fairy tale the sea witch is the conduit of fate.

Disney's 'The Little Mermaid', Triton's Kingdom development art

Aladdin

Disney's 'Aladdin' development art

This well-known film and character originate from a lesser-known book of tales entitled One Thousand and One Nights, later referred to as Arabian Nights. Oddly, the story of Aladdin only appeared in the editions after the first European translation was made by Antoine Galland between 1704 and 1717, which has led some to believe he created the character and his story.

In the original works, a woman named Shahrazhad (or Scheherazade) used her wits and creativity to delay her inevitable execution as she told the tale of Aladdin, and many others, to King Shahriyar. Each night, she told him part of the story, and because he wanted to hear more, he kept her alive.

The Disney film uses character traits and ideas from popular movies such as Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Thief of Baghdad, for their version and, reinforcing these tropes is set in Arabia, while the original was set in China. Whether or not Aladdin was Chinese remains a mystery!

Disney's 'Aladdin' development art

Chicken Little

Disney's Chicken Little (2005) concept art

In the original tale of Henny Penny, the main character, more commonly known in the US as Chicken Little, expresses and justifies her fears. The most popular Disney adaptation of Chicken Little is a science-fiction sequel that came out in 2005. Foxy Loxy becomes a bully instead of a rival and both Chicken Little and Foxy Loxy switched genders. Chicken Little is now a little boy and Foxy Loxy is a girl.

Not many know that before this quirky CG retelling, that there was a 1943 Disney adaptation which was manufactured at the request of the United States government to disgrace, and discourage Nazism and what it stood for.

(If you weren't aware of this before it will make watching Chicken Little again quite a different experience, won't it?)

The Princess and the Frog

Disney's 'The Princess and the Frog' development art

The Princess and the Frog was derived from the book The Frog Princess, a middle school novel written by E.D. Baker, who used ideas from the original Frog King (better known as The Frog Prince) fairy tale. The film caught the attention of many because it was the first Disney movie to include a black princess.

The moral of the story differs between tale and film. The fairy tale can be seen to suggest that you can get what you want in life even if you don't deserve it. The movie altered this to be a more suitable and uplifting for todays viewers, showing you can get what you want if you work for it.

The prince transformation differs greatly too. In the tale, the frog is thrown violently at a wall, which releases him from his enchantment, whereas in the movie, the frog turns into a prince when he is kissed. A nice little nod is given to this story's origins in the form of a fairy tale book that's read aloud in the film, retelling a more modern and familiar version where the frog must be kissed - giving the frog his reason for seeking a princess in the first place.

Disney's 'The Princess and the Frog' development art

Frozen

Disney's 'Frozen' character development and design

Now a part of mainstream Western culture, the film Frozen is a family favorite. But where did it really come from? Most fans know by now that Frozen originates from the Hans Christian Andersen tale The Snow Queen. What's less well known is that The Snow Queen is a segmented story, with seven unique 'episodes', each illustrating problems and solutions the heroine must face on her journey to save her friend. Differing from the movie, the tales' main characters are Gerda and Kay, who are like brother and sister though not blood-related.

It's also worth mentioning that in the original material, there are no trolls. The only similarity is the goblin (also described as the devil) who created the evil mirror that shatters, a sliver of which pierces Kay's eye and freezes his mind and heart. In an interesting parallel between movie and tale, in the fourth section of The Snow Queen, Gerda is told a story of marriage by a raven, about a princess who was fixated on getting hitched. In the film, Anna is very keen to marry Hans, so it's possible to see similarities in morals and lessons of the two versions.

Disney's 'Frozen' development art

Watch or Read?

Has dipping into the details on these classics given you a thirst for binge-watching these films? You can watch them on Netflix or use a U.S. connection if you're outside the country and desperately want access. Keep an eye out for the similarities and differences mentioned in this article; you can see where Hollywood has been creative or strayed from the original works and decide whether you like it or not.

It's also great fun reading the tales to see just how differently you interpret the stories. What your mind creates from the creativity of words will be different to what you see on screen. It also gives you an insight of how film manufacturers would have gone about deciding what to put in their movies and how to take the most entertaining and essential parts out to animate them.

Have knowledge on some differences between original works in fairy tales and movies? Or some cool information on where fairy tales were born? Leave a comment below.

Diamond Grant is a fairy tale enthusiast who enjoys reading original works and watching feature films. She also likes uncovering differences between versions of fairy tales, opening up a discussion as to which are more entertaining.

Thank you for being our guest writer today Diamond!

Would you like to write a fairy tale focused guest post for Once Upon A Blog? We'd love to hear from you!

Contact us at fairytalenews AT gmail DOT com. 

While we cannot always guarantee being able to post your writing, and usually schedule our posts well in advance, we are open to ideas and, depending on available time, are happy to work with you.

#RecommendedResistanceReads: Kate Forsyth's 'The Beast's Garden'

'Ava fell in love the night the Nazis first showed their true nature to the world .' 

A retelling of the Grimms' Beauty and The Beast, set in Nazi Germany.

Readers of this blog will be aware of our admiration for Kate Forsyth's writing and unique use of fairy tales in her historical fiction, but this novel is especially appropriate for our #recommendedresistancereads (#RRR) theme at this time.

The Beast's Garden is more than a retelling of the fairy tale, Beauty and the Beast. It's a great book of inspiration and bravery. Ava's story, though fiction, rings with the truth of so many real lives. Perhaps those fictitious characters resisting (from the Gestapo to despair) did only one of these brave acts, perhaps they did many, but don't be fooled by the label of 'fiction' here. Throughout the pages are many TRUE stories, and the names and actions of real people, as historical records can testify to. Their stories join them to each other, and, now in 2017, as so many reach for inspiration, it joins us to them.

Here is Kate's summary for the novel, from her blog:

THE BEAST’S GARDEN is a retelling of the Grimm’s Beauty and The Beast set in Nazi Germany. Ava is a young woman who marries a Nazi officer in order to save her father, but she hates and fears her new husband and the regime for which he works. 

She becomes involved with an underground resistance movement in Berlin called the Red Orchestra, made up of artists, writers, diplomats and journalists, who pass on intelligence to the American embassy, distribute leaflets encouraging opposition to Hitler, and help people in danger from the Nazis to escape the country.  

Gradually Ava comes to realise that her husband Leo is part of a dangerous military conspiracy that plans to assassinate Hitler. As Berlin is bombed into ruins, and the Gestapo ruthlessly hunt down all resistance to Nazism, Ava unwittingly betrays Leo.  

When the Valkyrie plot fails, Leo is arrested and Ava must flee.  

Living hand-to-mouth in the rubble of Berlin, she must find some way to rescue her husband before he and his fellow conspirators are executed. 

The Beast’s Garden is a compelling and beautiful love story, filled with drama, intrigue and heartbreak, taking place between Kristallnacht in late 1938 and the fall of Berlin in 1945.  

As a bonus, on her blog, Kate has linked folks to some wonderful resources. One of our favorites is a Pinterest board of photos of people, many of them women, in the German Resistance Movement during WWII.

You can find that fascinating resource HERE.

Update: As this post was about to go live, Kate posted a special article on her blog, paying tribute to the women of the underground German Resistance in honor of International Women's Day. I'm inserting the link here, because her research on these women, and whose very real stories she expertly wove into the tapestry of The Beast's Garden, is one of the reasons it's in our recommended reads as we navigate the beginning of 2017 and all its personal and political challenges. The book is both mythic with the fairy tale resonance of timeless truths, and grounded in the inspiring true stories of amazing people who did their part to stand against tyranny, despite their fear and risk to their lives. You can read her fascinating spotlight HERE.

A bonus for fairy tale folk is that Kate makes wonderful use of The Singing, Springing Lark, a variation on the Beauty and the Beast fairy tale that has elements of East of the Sun, West of the Moon, especially with regard to the motif of 'the search for the lost/ disappeared bridegroom'. It turns out, this variant, fits beautifully in the torn and confused surroundings of Berlin during the rise to power of the Third Reich. The parallel suggests us the connection to stories both past and present, and sections of the novel are indicated with text extracts from the fairy tale, bringing a different light to both tale and history.

The Grimm Brothers published a beautiful version of the Beauty & the Beast tale called ‘The Singing, Springing Lark' in 1819. It combines the well-known story of a daughter who marries a beast in order to save her father with another key fairy tale motif, the search for the lost bridegroom. In ‘The Singing, Springing Lark,' the daughter grows to love her beast but unwittingly betrays him and he is turned into a dove. She follows the trail of blood and white feathers he leaves behind him for seven years, and, when she loses the trail, seeks help from the sun, the moon, and the four winds. Eventually she battles an evil enchantress and saves her husband, breaking the enchantment and turning him back into a man.  

(In 'The Beast's Garden') a young woman marries a Nazi officer in order to save her father, but fears her new husband and the regime for which he works... (from Random House)

It's a daunting task to please readers after garnering a huge award, as Bitter Greens did (her historical fiction retelling of Rapunzel, which won the ALA for 2014), but once again, the deftly woven historical details anchoring the romance, edged with the ring of true stories from inspiring and real people living at that time, has received much praise. Here are just a few:

"Set in World War II, this retelling of Beauty of The Beast will set your emotions on edge. Set against a tumultuous backdrop of the Nazi regime, the choices made by these characters will set them on a path that cannot be undone. Stunningly written, The Beast's Garden explores the transformation of people as their morals are tested while evil rules supreme on every front. A beautiful novel that easily stands up against so many others set in the same era." Dymocks Chermside 

‘Skillfully crafted, The Beast’s Garden is another magnificent historical novel seamlessly melding truth and fiction, from Kate Forsyth. A wonderful tale of daring and courage, of struggle and survival, of love and loyalty, this is a ‘must read’. Book’d Out 

‘Intensely emotional and stunningly written, The Beast's Garden is a must-read. It has definitely made an impact on me, and I couldn't stop thinking about it for days afterwards, If you're a historical fiction fan and love an enthralling story, then this is for you. You won't regret it.’ Genie In a Book

Needless to say (but we will anyway) this book is highly recommended - both as a fairy tale retelling and as a wonderfully researched and written story that explores history, bravery and aspects of these fairy tales in a different context. It's also a novel that is currently very relevant and can speak to the fears and hopes we carry today.

For all the wonderful things this novel offers, this is the one we treasure most: that we must keep sharing stories. To do so is to link to the strength of the many who've gone before, the many who have stood against the storm, the many who right now do the same; the many who find, as they join hands, that they still can love, still create and still live - truly live. And so can we.

Thank you, Kate. It's a book to treasure.