See Magazine, Edmonton
Reviewed by G.H. Lewmer
08/14/10
4.5 out of 5 stars
Thoroughly entertaining whacked-out sex romp of an ingenious premise by a group of performers destined for the big time! Four mythos stalwarts (Cinderella, Beauty, Little Mermaid and Snow White) abide in Happily Ever After?, a magical land open to the possibilities of self-empowerment. Laugh-out loud funny with wonderful musical interludes, the four sexy sisters embark upon a series of riotous journeys that equips each of them with a transcendental modern outlook on the pinnacles and pitfalls of procreation. The first company production by these four soon-to-be superstars of the Edmonton Stage, a show that is destined to travel beyond this initial incarnation. Could easily be subtitled The Story of Oh!
CBC, Winnipeg
Reviewed by Ruth Shead
July, 2010
4 out of 5 stars
Happily Ever After will complete your Fringe experience, so go see it and then you can live happily ever after.
This take on what happens to princesses after their fairytales end and they go on to live "happily ever after" is laugh out loud funny again and again. When we last heard from them, Mermaid, Snow, Cinderella and Beauty all found their princes and now they are living happily ever after. Or are they...? What happens to a princess if her prince dies? Or after she has a baby, or if she can't have sex with her husband because his unmentionable "looks like the witch's arm handing Snow White the apple?" A couple of spots slow it down, but overall this production is utterly creative and funny. Written and performed by alumni of Grant MacEwan's Theatre Arts Program, this is a must-see.
Oh, and did I mention it's a musical? Because it is. And as the princesses say, "Everything sounds better in harmony."
This take on what happens to princesses after their fairytales end and they go on to live "happily ever after" is laugh out loud funny again and again. When we last heard from them, Mermaid, Snow, Cinderella and Beauty all found their princes and now they are living happily ever after. Or are they...? What happens to a princess if her prince dies? Or after she has a baby, or if she can't have sex with her husband because his unmentionable "looks like the witch's arm handing Snow White the apple?" A couple of spots slow it down, but overall this production is utterly creative and funny. Written and performed by alumni of Grant MacEwan's Theatre Arts Program, this is a must-see.
Oh, and did I mention it's a musical? Because it is. And as the princesses say, "Everything sounds better in harmony."
Vancouver Sun
09/12/10
Fringe Festival reviews: Happily Ever After? and Amoega deliver in different ways
Charming. This sweet treat from four recent graduates at Edmonton's Grant MacEwan University is a spoof of a certain Hollywood studio's obsession with turning every little girl in the world into a bubble-brained princess. While Walt may be spinning in his secret underground cryogenic chamber, Disney does get the small slap in the face it deserves for decades of being such a creepy corporate marketing machine promoting stale sexual stereotypes.
Candice Fiorentino, Sara Vickruck, Melissa Heagy and Brianne Jang all sing beautifully, and each offers a thoroughly realized understanding of their comedic characters: Jang as Beauty (that would be Belle from Beauty and the Beast), Vickruck as Snow (White), Fiorentino as Cinderella and Heagy as Mermaid (Ariel from The Little Mermaid).
Being cheeky young artists, they sing Janice Flower's spoof songs with gusto. Flowers starts out with sly mimickry of the various composers who crafted bland schmaltz for their mouse king, but her music then steers clear of straight-ahead parody to become a pleasing forum for the cast to show off a great quartet of lungs.
The lyrics are in service of some sophomoric riffs on sex (should Snow go lesbo? Can Beauty finally face the Beast's big secret?) and the show is in need of more depth in its dissection of female roles both real and imaginary, but Happily Ever After? is still a fast, funny and entertaining hour of fun.
Charming. This sweet treat from four recent graduates at Edmonton's Grant MacEwan University is a spoof of a certain Hollywood studio's obsession with turning every little girl in the world into a bubble-brained princess. While Walt may be spinning in his secret underground cryogenic chamber, Disney does get the small slap in the face it deserves for decades of being such a creepy corporate marketing machine promoting stale sexual stereotypes.
Candice Fiorentino, Sara Vickruck, Melissa Heagy and Brianne Jang all sing beautifully, and each offers a thoroughly realized understanding of their comedic characters: Jang as Beauty (that would be Belle from Beauty and the Beast), Vickruck as Snow (White), Fiorentino as Cinderella and Heagy as Mermaid (Ariel from The Little Mermaid).
Being cheeky young artists, they sing Janice Flower's spoof songs with gusto. Flowers starts out with sly mimickry of the various composers who crafted bland schmaltz for their mouse king, but her music then steers clear of straight-ahead parody to become a pleasing forum for the cast to show off a great quartet of lungs.
The lyrics are in service of some sophomoric riffs on sex (should Snow go lesbo? Can Beauty finally face the Beast's big secret?) and the show is in need of more depth in its dissection of female roles both real and imaginary, but Happily Ever After? is still a fast, funny and entertaining hour of fun.
