Review of Depot Theatre's Funked Up Fairytales

Funked Up Fairytales' three graduating fairies Faireetheeya (Famecia Ward), Titania (Cali Moore), and Magikwanda (Iris Elton) who have to give a story a happy ending or fail their finals. — *Funked Up Fairytales’* three graduating fairies Faireetheeya (Famecia Ward), Titania (Cali Moore), and Magikwanda (Iris Elton) have to give a fairytale a happy ending or fail their finals.

I just saw Funked Up Fairytales at the Depot Theatre, and if you think that you’d enjoy a modern mix-up of some classic fairytales, then I recommend you go see it too! The show will be playing at the Depot until August 25. Just for this show there is special $10 ticket for kids 12 and under!

Like in many fairytales the number three is special and throughout the show we follow three young fairies who must pass their final exam by ensuring that a particular fairytale has a happy ending, but if they fail then they will be demoted to an eternity of being a “background fairy.”

From a prince cursed to be a pig to a royalty reality show, this musical is a twisting, humorous adventure filled with some catchy songs sung by some great voices.

The cast played multiple characters throughout the show. Even the women who played the three main fairies became characters in the fairytales they are trying to give happy endings, which I thought was a great touch that gave an element of unity to all the stories that unfolded.

K-pig and his mother the Queen — K-pig (Drew Aber) is telling his mother the Queen (Jenna Lea Scott) that he wants to get married.

Another unifying force was an ingenious prop sitting center stage. A large book with pages that turned advanced the stories and worked in the background to set the scenes.

Travel Through Funked Up Fairytale Worlds

We first experience the story of “K-pig,” where Faireetheeya (Famecia Ward) is the first to pass her test. Though her fierce manner and the fact that she curses the queen’s baby to be born a pig seemed to point to failure, in the end it is the curse that forces the fairytale characters overcome adversity and gain love that ensures the story has a happy ending.

Drew Aber is hilarious as K-pig (the cursed prince) in his want for a wife, and his stubborn way of going about getting one. Aber does equally well in the second story that unfolds as the lovelorn rhinestone-jacket-wearing King who disguises himself as a poacher to get close to a miller’s daughter.

"Mistah Skin" is the second fairytale we're drawn into where we meet the underhanded Rumpelstiltskin (Jason McCollum) who spins straw into gold in exchange for a first-born son. — “Mistah Skin” is the second fairytale we’re drawn into where we meet the underhanded Rumpelstiltskin (Jason McCollum). Who, as the story goes, spins straw into gold in exchange for a first-born son…

Titania (Cali Moore) is a bit ditzy and frequently involves herself in other people’s problems due to her do-gooder tendencies, which gets into a lot of trouble in the second fairytale world of “Mistah Skin.” The wacky and wily Rumpelstiltskin (Jason McCollum) doesn’t want her to give up his name to the new Queen, which would allow her to get out of her deal with him, so he curses Titania to dance until she dies.

The third fairy Magikwanda (Iris Elton) is not very good at telling stories, but when her friend’s life is on the line she must spin a story that gets the audience clapping their hands and will convince her tough teacher Mab (Jenna Lea Scott) to save Titania and pass them both! See the show to find out if she can pull it off.

Depot Theatre: Funked Up Fairytales (www.essexonlakechamplain.com)
Taber’s Folklore Inspired Art and Shadow Boxes at Depot Theatre Gallery (www.essexonlakechamplain.com)
A Review of Depot Theatre’s Boeing Boeing (www.essexonlakechamplain.com)
A Review of Depot Theatre’s Route 66 (www.essexonlakechamplain.com)

About Katie Shepard

Passionate about reading and writing stories, Katie Shepard enjoys discovering more about her home while writing and editing for Essex on Lake Champlain. Katie graduated from SUNY Plattsburgh in 2011 where she studied English literature, philosophy, and Asian studies. Her first book Essex, New York Architecture: A Doodler's Field Guide was published in 2015. Connect with her on Twitter, Facebook, or at Linked.in. Or email her at katie [@] essexeditions [dot] com.