Fairy tale with a twist: Viera Studio brings 'Hansel and Gretel' to Orlando Fringe
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Upending a well-known fairy tale can be irresistible, as Monica Toro Lisciando and her acting instructors at The Viera Studio have discovered.
When the Orlando Fringe Theatre Festival rolled around this year, Viera Studio knew they wanted in again. In the past, the group had tackled Disney princesses gone awry. For 2022, they delved into further fairy tale sacred ground.
“We had done Fringe for a couple of years and this year, we wanted to take a classic and do a camp-horror twist,” said Toro Lisciando, owner and director of The Viera Studio.
“Hansel and Gretel,” with its cannibalistic overtones, seemed tailor-made for the project, and thus was born “The Untold Story of Hansel and Gretel,” written by Gabriel Ramos.
“I grabbed a cup of coffee or two, sat down with my computer and after six hours of work I had a big draft we then polished into what the show is today,” said Ramos.
What the show is, is a campy, kooky musical that pays homage to cult classics such as “Evil Dead,” “Rocky Horror” and “Bat Boy.” What it is not is a kid’s show. This is definitely aimed at an audience 18 and up.
“This show is perfect for those adults who crave raunchy, inappropriate humor and quick-paced storylines that reek of camp musical theater references,” said actor Corey Beattie.
The production, which stars Claire Brockell as Hansel and Shelby Brown as Gretel, is unique for its location: Loch Haven Park in Orlando. The audience won’t be sitting down, either, but rather walking about in this immersive experience.
“We start at the Orlando Science Museum, where Hansel & Gretel’s house will be and the audience follows us into the woods and later to the witch’s house,” said Toro Lisciando.
Directed by Toro Lisciando, the show also stars Katie Parsons(Helga), Corey Beattie(Fritz), Gabriel Ramos - as the witch, no less - and Toro Lisciando as Squirrel.
Regarding the denouement, suffice to say things end a la “Bat Boy.”
Orlando Fringe Theatre Festival is a 14-day cultural experience that runs May 18 to 31, with hundreds of ticketed performances and a free outdoor music festival. To attend shows, a $10 button is required as well as tickets for individual performances.
If you go
'The Untold Story of Hansel and Gretl'
Where: Loch Haven Park, 777 E Princeton Street, Orlando
When: 6 p.m., May 19, 20 26 and 27 and 28, 3 p.m. May 22 and 29 and 4 p.m. May 21.
Tickets: $10
On the web: virtuallyfringe.com
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This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Viera Studio's 'Hansel and Gretel' goes to Orlando Fringe Festival
