The one about the secret

Last night, I went to Princeton, New Jersey to see a new play called The Secret in the Wings. The play was written and directed by a Chicago based artist named Mary Zimmerman. Mary is one of the most talented people working in the theatre today. Several years ago, my office produced her play Metamorphoses, which was an adaptation from Ovid set in and around a swimming pool, on Broadway. Anyway, I am a huge fan of her work. The Secret in the Wings is framed by the story of Beauty and the Beast and incorporates several obscure fairy tales. The way that the play is structured is that it tells the beginning of one tale, then stops and begins another. Then in the middle, one story is told all the way through. In the second half, the end of the stories are all told in reverse order. So by the end, we are told the ending of the first story. It really is a remarkable achievement. What I loved about it was that it revealed the macabre and dark elements of these stories. It told stories that have been co-opted as children's literature in a very adult kind of way. I have linked to the play's website here http://www.mccarter.org/thesecretinthewings/sitw.htm. Turn your sound on as the music is gorgeous. If you click on photos, you'll see a really neat slideshow from the piece with the haunting sound design. It really was visually striking and I know that some of the images will probably stay with me forever. Vixanne, even though you hate plays, you would love this.