Granted it’s not nearly as weird as some Japanese fairy tales, but Rapunzel is probably one of the stranger folk tales to come out of Europe. It could almost read like a garish parody of the traditional European folk tale. Beauty is in a tower that can only be accessed by climbing a part of that beauty. Seen from the right angle it almost feels as though Salvador Dali decided to tell a fairy tale.
That being said, there is much about the overall theme explored in the story that is traditional to classic fairy tales. Disney jostled it in the right direction with the only Disney princess movie I’ve ever liked. This weekend, Village Playhouse welcomes the tale to the stage of Inspiration Studios as it presents a production of the story directed by Judy Lee Tarbox. Caitlin Weiss plays the title character in a two-performance engagement of VPW’s touring children’s show March 21 and 22. Both shows are at 4:00 p.m. For more information, visit villageplayhouse.org.
