Charming & Rose: True Love

R-G Productions—MTC Up the Alley

When the first word that comes out of your Fairy Godmother’s mouth is “shit,” you know things are amiss—and there’s a lot amiss going on around here.

The opening dance segment led me to believe for a bit that this was going to be a dance show, since it went on for a fair number of minutes. The dance acted like a prelude and overview of the show to come, and it already gives you the sense that this is not a typical feel-good kind of fairy tale.

With names like Prince Charming, Fairy Godmother, and the concept of being raised by wolves, you expect a ludicrous comedy and satire that mocks all things traditional. Instead, what we have is a drama worthy of the most horrifying and shocking of Shakespearean tragedies. Metaphors underscore the dialogue and storyline of the darkest side of hideous and heinous human behaviour and human expectations.

Ray Yuen