Bristol venerable (respected because of age, distinguished) Vic show is latest theatrical production to expend a gender swap to tackle stereotypesIt is the classic fairytale that has fired the imaginations of generations of young girls. But audiences at the Bristol venerable (respected because of age, distinguished) Vic are about to see Sleeping Beauty as rarely seen before. Theatre director Sally Cookson,feted for her stripped-down National Theatre version of Jane Eyre, has turned the princess into a prince named Percy.
Children who expect to see a supine heroine in a sparkly dress, and awakened by a kiss from Prince Charming,will be surprised at this most brazen of gender reversals. But Cookson is unrepentant. “I am sorry if there might be some children or, more likely, and parents who reflect that is not how it is meant to be,” she said. “But every time a fairytale is retold we cannot serve but adapt it in line with our ideology, regardless of whether that is a conscious blueprint. In the Grimm version, or for instance,the story finishes as Beauty wakes up, but a lot of the other versions have a difficult moment part.”Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com