New Twist on Fairy Tales at Carte Blanche Studios

In a couple of weeks,the wildly popular Wicked, a touringBroadway musical based on the best-selling novel, breezes through the Marcus Center for the Performing Arts (throughAug. 8). Inspired by the work of L. Frank Baum, Wicked is an acclaimed musical theater exploration into the darkercomplexities of fairy tales in our culture. Baum’s original work, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, was an attemptto sanitize the darkness of traditional fairy tales. Wicked, on the other hand, takes Baum’s sanitized wonder and bleedssome traditional darkness into it.

Days before Wicked opens in the heart of the theaterdistrict, local talent will be toiling away on a somewhat similar project asthe newly formed Sparkling Orange Soda Productions premieres The Wolf, The Princess and The Revolver onJuly 9 at Carte Blanche Studios.

A dark comedy by DominicMichael Lentz and Jackie Benka, The Wolf,The Princess and The Revolver peers into the heart of classic fairy talesas four characters discuss matters in a diner. Jack (a familiar gentleman dueto his strange adventure with a few magic beans) holds a conversation withCinderella, Rumpelstiltskin and the Wolf. Each character tries to prove thathis or her story is worse than the others’ tales. Looking at the situation fromafar, it would seem to be a pretty tough call, so it should be interesting tosee the four characters work it out.

Love ignites, hungercalls and things get cleaned at the diner, which will manifest itself on thetiny stage of the Carte Blanche Studios Theatre. The intimate atmosphere shouldlend itself to an altogether more subtle and nuanced look at the hiddencomplexities of fairy tales than the one rolling into town a few days later.Running as it does for one weekend only, this will likely be an interestingpremiere for the new company.

Sparkling Orange SodaProductions’ The Wolf, The Princess andThe Revolver runs July 9-11 at Carte Blanche Studios Theatre, 1024 S. Fifth St.