←Recommendations of Fable Group

This is a funny play that spotlights such a horrible subject. Childhood trauma is something that can be so difficult to leave behind or work through. Martineau presents all those famous fable characters who definitely had traumatic childhoods, something of them so horrible that it's amazing that we still have their fairy tales around to past down to all the the new generations.

Andrew Martineau takes a cluster of scarred grown-up, fairy tale characters and tosses them into a clinical support group. As they recall and reveal their fabled childhood traumas, Jack, of beanstalk fame, goes off the rails, holding the characters and therapist hostage, at gunpoint. All in all a witty, creative gem, that would be a great addition to a 10 minute play festival.

This is such a fascinating piece that examines life after fame and trauma. Each character has their own voice, and I could picture this whole event taking place. There are so many complex ideas happening in this piece, it really adds to the ending standoff when Jack decides he's "had enough." The ending image with Jack really tells us what trauma can do to a person. The use of fairy tale characters to showcase real life events was insanely smart by Martineau, whose voice is very distinctive and direct!

Each character in this piece has a very distinct voice! They're all familiar in their own right, but with a darker twist. I love the line: "parents have their own demons to fight. They just never get to be the protagonists of their children’s stories." So true, so deep and funny in a sad way. This would be such a fun play to stage!

Group therapy with fairy tale characters gets fractured in this very fun, very dark, contemporary short play. Memorable and funny interpretations of these classic characters pop, and the therapy setting proves ripe for seeing how they tick.