reviewvancouver: Grimm Girls

Concrete Vertigo Productions
Grimm Girls by Cameron Chase

Dates and Venue 10 - 25 May 2013, 8pm | PAL Vancouver Studio Theatre, Coal Harbour, Vancouver

Reviewer Ed Farolan

I think the Grimm Brothers would have enjoyed seeing their fairy tales turned into a burlesque musical. Whether you're gay or straight, this musical has entertainment for the three sexes. You not only have these pretty girls stripping, but you also have the guys bare it all.

It really is a Vegas Style Burlesque Musical -- hilarious, sexy and very contemporary, something that Vancouver hasn't really seen before. Maybe the company should go to Vegas and New York and present this, and I'm sure it's going to be a hit. The singers, dancers and costumes were truly dazzling, and the adaptation was funny. Megan Solis as the Fairy Godmother got a lot of laughs with her Filipino/Mexican accent and antics. She even went down to the audience and flirted with a bald-headed dirty old man.

The girls were pretty, the guys handsome, and the show got a lot of wolf whistles from the audience. Rosie Simon as Snow White was funny and sexy, and sang beautifully. It was different seeing a brown Asian playing Snow White. Likewise, Cinderella (Ranae Miller) was sexy, and I felt the star of the show, Jacqueline Breakwell (The Evil Queen) was simply a joy to watch, with her different costumes. Mike Kovac (The Big Bad Wolf) and the lovely Sable Struth (Little Red Riding Hood) would have given the Grimm Brothers an idea to rewrite their fairy tale.

The rest of the company showed their talents not only as strippers, but as dancers and singers: Jeremy O'Driscoll, Ryan Bolton, Ben Bilodeau, Emily Kapahi, Javia Selina, Alex Gullason, Jennifer Doan, Lauren Gula, Stephanie Liotopoulos, Kate MacQueen, Nilsen Tiefenbach and Dimitrios Stephanoy

Kudos to the production team-- co-directors Dawn Ewen (a household name in choreography) and Mike Kovac, Musical Director Maddison Popov, Sound Designer David Kovac, Producer/Writer Cameron Chase and co-producers Sable Strub and Rosie Simon.