Grimm DNA - a double bill.
One of the best things about Adelaide Fringe Festival is not just the variety of performances, but the diversity of performers from all ages and cultures. It was a pleasure to experience the hard work of the students from Actually Acting Youth Theatre in their double-bill performance of The Brothers Grimm Spectaculathon by Don Zolidis and Dennis Kelly’s DNA.
The Brothers Grimm were story collectors, and their library of over two hundred stories from German and European folklore have been the basis of many movies – notably those from Walt Disney, who sanitised and romanticised the often gruesome and unhappy tales into the stories we recognise today.
That sterilisation of the folktales is a running joke in Don Zolidis’ compilation and reduction of the entire Grimm’s collection into an hour-long performance. It is overseen by three narrators: two of them, Francesca Medi and Madeleine Wehner, are as expected, softly spoken storytellers setting the scene and guiding us through the abbreviated tales, but the third, expertly played by Rémi Johnson-Saison, tells us of the original blood-and-guts versions, where the heroes didn’t always survive. Medi and Wehner are excellent in their interactions with the audience, encouraging our participation in the action; and their energies bounce off those from Johnson-Saison, who relishes every line he has to deliver.
The story conflates Rapunzel with Snow White through a family tree that also includes Rumpelstiltskin and Hansel & Gretel, along with many princes, witches and dwarves. Everyone is wonderful in their multiple roles, but stand outs are Henry Bacon’s Dwarf, Abbey Bal’s Devils, and the multiple roles played by the ‘stage hands’, Jonah Reed and Charlie Zorković, who manage to be Ugly Sisters and the Fairy Godmother in the same scene. Their understanding of farce here is tremendous and laugh-out-loud hilarious.
The tight and fast direction from Actually Acting’s Artistic Director Alicia Zorković ensures the ensemble deliver the laughs whilst giving the audience great characters that are not just comedic caricatures. A tremendous show from everyone involved.
After the interval, the older students present a much darker piece of theatre called DNA, from writer Dennis Kelly (who wrote critically acclaimed Girls & Boys in 2022’s Adelaide Festival, as well as the book from Roald Dahl’s creation that became the Tim Minchin production of Matilda the Musical). This high school story of bullying gone horribly wrong was written in 2007 and became a staple for GCSE (Year 10) study in UK schools.
The story examines the critical impact of peer pressure and pack mentality imposed by school students and is mostly set in some woods, where escalating dares leads to a bullied student falling down a deep shaft. The group panic until one of them calmly instructs how their complicit involvement can be covered up.
It’s a cruel story that clearly impacts those performing: Leah’s (Carys Jones) persistence in questioning silent Phil (an extraordinarily composed Sebastian Higham) only increases her frustration and fear. Maddie and Jan (Lucy Boundey and Imogen Starr) are excellent as they exchange quick-fire dialogue in their attempts to first understand and then justify their part in the horrible accident. Marcus Murdoch is terrific as Brian going through a mental breakdown – but all of the performers are believable as director Lauren Jones guides the transformation of their initial roles in the group after the accident. There are strong characterisations of panic and realistic reactions to the revealing dialogue – the elements of fear, self-justification, and taking and losing control are all there. The original music by Vaughan Galloway and superb sound design by director Jones provide the right background for the performance. There are a few moments where it gets loud and shouty, but it’s not an inappropriate amount of overwhelm for the audience whose own horror at the situation has been simmering. The emotion from the characters comes through these young performers brilliantly.
Grimm and DNA are a good combination for this double-bill from an amazing company of young casts and creatives.
Review by Mark Wickett
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