★★★★½
Occupying the sinister space between Disney sunshine and scandalous Sondheim, GRIMM drags us into a dark, desolate forest, where familiar faces lurk in the shadows. The classic, enduring fairytales popularised by the Brothers Grimm are retold, with a terrible twist.
It all starts innocently enough: we meet the little girl in a red hood; the silent stepdaughter longing to go to the ball; the tragic beauty being kept captive by a cursed beast; the alluring, enigmatic wolf… until, as the clock ticks towards midnight, we realise these aren’t exactly the stories we grew up with.
Following a sold-out premiere season at QPAC for Brisbane Festival in 2024, Shake & Stir Theatre Co’s GRIMM arrives with a bang at the Arts Centre Melbourne’s Fairfax Studio, as part of a national tour. Brilliantly co-adapted by Artistic Director Nelle Lee, with Director (and co-adaptor) Daniel Evans at the helm, this juggernaut production is wild, wicked, and madly unforgiving.
Set at an abandoned watering hole – hilariously named The Witch’s Tit – deep in the woods, Evans brings these classic tales to life in fluid, frenetic pacing. The show’s definite sense of mischief is palpable in the frantic way the cast tumble through their stories like they’re discovering them in real time.
And speaking of, this frivolous foursome is a dazzling display of pure pandemonium, as they bounce between characters and playfully prance around the stage. Treating the entire theatre space as their stage, they frequently break the fourth wall and engage the audience in careless abandon.
Leading the charge, Nelle Lee brings a vibrant, victorious spark. Bright and bubbly as Little Red Riding Hood, yet sharp and vicious as captive prisoner Beauty, Lee dexterously bounds across the stage. She effortlessly flips between danger and delight with captivating ease, her resonant, charismatic voice imperious and resounding.
Aljin Abela grounds the storytelling in his nuanced performance. Devious as gold-spinner Rumpelstiltskin and fragile as sensitive Beast, he shape-shifts from despair to defiance in rapid succession.
At the show’s midway point, Abela offers a rare tender moment, shared with a fawn puppet (gently marionetted by Lee) that provides a much-needed emotional reprieve amongst all the unrelenting turmoil.
Rounding out the cast, Helen Cassidy weaves her way in and out of characters including the timid Ashputtel (Cinderella) and the kooky Wicked Witch like an absolute chameleon.
Alongside her, Henry Rollo is seductive as The Big Bad Wolf, then spitefully two-faced as Prince Charming, bringing swagger and solid vocals with a dash of camp for good measure.
Josh McIntosh’s impressive set is a dilapidated woodland playhouse that looks rebuilt from scraps of old storybooks. Stacks of half-broken wooden beams and curtained potholes serve as the perfect backdrop to the evening’s terrifying terrors.
Lighting designer Trent Suidgeest and sound designer Guy Webster skilfully combine sudden blackouts, flashing sparks, and abrupt noises to shock and surprise, conjuring a chilling atmosphere heavy with tension.
Soundtracked against familiar present-day tunes and pop culture references that serve as subtle signposts to the show’s contemporary references, GRIMM reminds us that since time immemorial, fairytales have often served as little warnings and survival guides disguised as fables.
It peppers in commentary about how these age-old, cautionary stories were, and still are, passed down through generations of women and girls with one everlasting theme: that some are still oppressed, appearance matters, and minorities are always prosecuted for being different. As the show itself postulates, “the biggest tragedy, is that nothing ever changes.”
Provocative, explosive, and brimming with conviction, GRIMM is a confident triumph. Trudge your way into the woods at your own peril, and catch this gritty, charismatic knockout of a fairytale fever dream whilst it’s in town.
GRIMM – Tales from the Brothers Grimm is presented by Shake & Stir Theatre Co. It runs at Arts Centre Melbourne’s Fairfax Studio until 12 September 2026 as part of a national tour.
Tickets: https://www.artscentremelbourne.com.au/whats-on/2026/theatre/grimm
Website: https://shakeandstir.com.au/mainstage/grimm#touring-dates
Socials: https://www.instagram.com/shakeandstir/
Photo credits: Cameron Grant
Leave a Reply