Feminists, cultural pundits, and contemporary artists of all forms have discussed it ad nauseum: Fairy tales are fucked up. Snow White? Saved from a poison-happy cannibal queen by a pedophile. Red Riding Hood? Jailbait stripper (seriously, this is how she escapes from the wolf during their first rendezvous). And Sleeping Beauty? Raped in a coma. It's this version of the story that one would naturally expect to be fodder for a show at the Vortex, a home-grown theatrical empire built on, among other things, musicals featuring whacked-out “soundscapes”, rapes, and blood-drenched breasts (see: Vampyress, Pink Sun, Hole, etc). Instead, the company’s latest endeavor ventures into softer, more Disneyfied terrain with a vivid, winking little spectacle stuffed with messages about choosing your own destiny and respecting nature despite having a large part of your life stolen from you by some petty sprite dressed up like a tamarind. Stuff like that. more ›

Oceana, currently playing at the Vortex Theater, is a cross between Cirque de Soleil and Spongebob Squarepants. Okay, okay, no it’s not, though it does take place under the sea and features plenty of graceful and limber dancing, including some aerial work. And the costumes! The costumes! Really nice shiny, stretchy, shimmery job on the costumes! Bonnie Collum (writer/director) and Content Love Knowles (original music and lyrics) have joined forces to create one shell of a show. (Confession - performances about the ocean lend themselves so well to the urge to pun, that it’s nearly impossible to clam up. For instance, this musical features plenty o’ Merman, though no Ethel.) more ›