Fairytale of London

Cinderella, The Old Vic Panto, By Stephen Fry

As winter takes hold of the city, London seems to have fallen under the spell of a familiar cast of fairytale characters. Neither Cinderella nor Rapunzel need fear going out of fashion as they are still headlining in the capital's best theatres, cinemas and galleries.

But there has been a shift in emphasis.
Now we’re seeing a real reaction against the saccharine often coating these stories, many of which explore some of our darkest fears and desires.

In fact, if the last encounter you had with the fairytale world was through the wholesome interpretation of Disney, you might still be surprised by what these tales originally had to offer.

The Dulwich Picture Gallery is currently showing the works of fairytale illustrators from The Age of Enchantment, including the works of Beardsley, Dulac and Rackham.
Some of the most evocative illustrations are from classic tales such as The Little Mermaid and Aladdin, long before Disney had a chance to edit out the eroticism and tragedy that were characteristic elements of the original stories.

In an age where morals were made by men like the Grimm brothers and Hans Christian Anderson, it’s not surprising that tales such as Little Red Riding Hood and Sleeping Beauty were written mainly to discourage little girls from disobeying their fathers/brothers/husbands.

Feminism is partly responsible for us filtering through a slightly different set of themes for today’s audience- concentrating on enduring messages of good triumphing against evil.

Beauty and the Beast is a particularly relevant tale in today’s world of size 0s, plastic surgery and botox, hence the popularity of its successor Shrek which is also about beauty being only skin deep.
Other highlights of the exhibition include Gothic images created to accompany the works of Edgar Allan Poe and seductive images from the exotic Arabian Nights.

Darker tales such as Hansel and Gretel or Rumpelstiltskin are also represented in the exhibition, their scary storylines having prevented them from being carried forward into our modern repertoire of popular fairytales.
At the time though, these visions were meant to be enjoyed by both adults and children alike, carrying on a trend that ranges from Classical myths, Peter Pan and Alice in Wonderland.
And of course we have our modern offerings such as The Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter, which both manage to bridge the age gap.

Disney’s ( often charged with simplifying complex fairytales into ‘good’ blonde heroines and ‘evil’ ugly stepmothers) latest offering, Enchanted opens in cinemas on December 14th, and tells the story of a princess who falls through a porthole from her fairytale word into modern day New York City.
Starring Amy Adams, James Marsden and Susan Sarandon, the film features live action, traditional animation and CGI effects in the most highly evolved form of fairytale illustration to date.

And Kneehigh’s production of Rapunzel at the Southbank Centre breaks boundaries by combining puppetry, physical theatre, live music and animation in a show stopping performance that is as highly recommended for adults as for kids.

Another sure favourite for some sly innuendos and a lot of tongue in cheek is Stephen Fry's festive pantomime Cinderella at the Old Vic.
With music by the award winning Anne Dudley, show-stopping costumes, and plenty of feelgood factor, this is the sort of outing that Christmas is all about.

And the Royal Opera's incarnation of Cinderella in Rossini's La Cenerentola should meet all your expectations for a glamourous night out.

If, however, you find the dark evenings and cold weather leave you confined to the sofa, stay where you are and let the BBC bring the fairytale world to you.
The festive season sees the likes of James Nesbitt, Denise Van Outen and Paul Nicholls starring in modern adaptations of classics lincluding The Three Billy Goats Gruff, Rapunzel, Cinderella and The Emperor's New Clothes.
Mark Redhead, the executive producer at Hat Trick productions, voiced his hopes that everyone would identify with elements of these tales.
"Fairy stories express the deepest human fears, feelings, dreams and urges that pulse beneath the surface of the modern world just as they did thousands of years ago."

Perhaps this is why our generation's artists, adults and children are still so enthralled by them.

Katie Antoniou

The Age of Enchantment- Beardsley, Dulac and their contemporaries 1890-1930
Dulwich Picture Gallery
www.dulwichpicturegallery.org.uk
28 November 2007-17 February 2008

Enchanted
disney.go.com/disneypictures/enchanted/
At cinemas from the 14th December

Rapunzel
Southbank Centre
www.southbankcentre.co.uk
18 December 2007- 5 January 2008

Cinderella
The Old Vic
www.oldvictheatre.com
4 December 2007- 20 January 2008

La Cenerentola (Cinderella)
The Royal Opera House
www.royaloperahouse.org
17 December 2007 – 9 January 2008

BBC1’s anthology of fairy tales are scheduled to be shown over the Christmas and New Year period.

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Comments

Interesting article. It's a real shame that the often disturbing aspects of many fairytales are toned down or censored today. People forget that children (and adults)love to be frightened by ghoulish tales, where good does not necessarily triumph over evil. Peter and the Wolf is a great story with a fantastic music score by Prokofiev. In typical Russian style the goose is eaten by the wolf and isn't saved by Peter or coughed up again alive and well. I just hope Disney doesn't get it's sugar coated mitts on the story.
One exception to the dodgy Disney interpretations of classic fairytales is it's first feature length animation, Snow White. The heroine (Ms. White) is raven haired (not blonde)and the evil queen is sublime with her long cast dark shadows. They just missed a chance in making the dwarves more sinister - maybe with Dopey and Sneezy being informants to the evil queen or poisoned apple dealers! by Angela Caulfield on 12/12/2007 21:49

Fairytale of London

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