Open and Affirming Fairy Tales

Tommy and I kicked off Fringe Day #1 with Open and Affirming Fairy Tales: The FaBUlous Fables of RainBeaU Bay . AWOL productions has created a playful, traditional piece of children's theater with an open heart. Although the show proves that GLBT-friendly kids' theater is not an oxymoron, that isn't the focus of the show. It isn't preachy or precious. It's for kids. Yes, it's about valuing all families. But most of all, Open and Affirming Fairy Tales is about having the courage to be yourself.
The show is divided into four short stories-three classic fairy tales and one new one. Each tale is told by adult actors with simple props. In Fisher and the Fish, a parachute becomes a pond, a cap with a stuffed fish transforms an actor into a fish. The Frog Princess, who happens to have two Dads, meets a new friend. A boy finds the Golden Goose and wins the attentions of the prince. And the Queen lets them go on a date. The new tale, The Mayor Who Outlawed Jellybeans, introduces a pompous Mayor who makes ridiculous proclamations that affect the whole village. The children are the heroes who must find a way to make things right.
At the end of the show each child is given a button withe the letters B. U.. Kids love swag, and it is a nice souvenir of a fun afternoon at the Fringe.