My Own Fairytale: An In Depth Review

John Cleese, co-founder of the genius comedy group Monty Python, breaks down the creative process into five categories: space, time, time (again), confidence, and humor. He explains how confidence is such a crucial part of opening your mind to creativity. He says, "[…] the best way to get the confidence to do that is to know that while you're being creative, nothing is wrong. There's no such thing as a mistake, and any drivel may lead to the break-through."

Since watching this seminar, I truly believed in this concept. Thomas Edison once said, "I did not fail to make the lightbulb 1,000 times. I simply found 1,000 ways how not to make a lightbulb." It is this approach that has inspired some of the greatest minds, inventors and creators the world has ever known. However, what went through my mind as I endured Leslie Noel's "My Own Fairytale" at Freight and Savage in Berkeley, California did I actually think wrong wrong wrong wrong oh my god so wrong I can't even make it stop.

"My Own Fairytale" is an autobiographical musical about a woman who has hopes of finding true love. As a girl, she is swept away by the advances of a boy she met at school. With high hopes of "happily ever after" she marries this same boy only to be met with physical and emotional domestic abuse. After surviving her first marriage, she believed to have found hope in her next relationship. Once again she is mistreated and, cruelly, raped by her lover. The play continues in this fashion; meeting new men, being taken advantage of, and making empty promises of becoming an independent, strong woman. Over time she finds value through her friends, reconciles with her estranged father, and overcomes adversity by - you guessed it - promising to be a strong, indented woman. The story ends where Leslie is now in her life: confident, single and ready to mingle.

In the event that you see this production and start to experience emotional and psychical trauma, the following are the necessary precautions I took to maintain my sanity:
1. Go fetal
2. Try not to cry
3. Cry a lot

"My Own Fairytale" quickly turned into "My Own Personal Circle of Hell". Before I go any further, I have this to say: I have the utmost respect for theatre. When I go to the theatre, I am going to church. It is my sanctuary, my home, my dojo, my safe haven from the storm. Therefore my expectations are thus: to hear a voice that needs to be heard, be taken on a journey, share in a relatable experience, be entertained, and come out of it having gained a new perspective or learned something about my own humanity. This musical didn't even come close to these expectations.

The Music

You know the song just before the end of Act 1 in "Wicked" where Elphaba lays the groundwork for a major shift in her character? Well, every single song was "Defying Gravity". And if it wasn't a rock ballad, it was 5 seconds of poorly constructed dialogue or a lament about how woeful her life is. Towards the end, one of the male characters finally came out to sing. I was thrilled that there might actually be a new character perspective. Unfortunately, the song became a quixotic fantasy featuring the men of her past who had wronged her, coming back to apologize for their misogynistic ways.

If that wasn't bad enough, copious amounts of the melodies were stolen material. Songs like Defying Gravity, Anything You Can Do I Can Do Better, and Do You Hear The People Sing were used in the show. There was even a faint similarity between one of her songs and Lady Gaga's Born this Way. The cherry on top was that each song was at least two minutes too long. If Leslie shortened the length of her music, she could at least input more dialogue to salvage what little plot line there was. Which segues into...

The Story

Through clenched teeth, I sat in my chair taking swigs of my IPA while witnessing the lack of a story arch and next to no character development. The worst crime this show made was the statement it made about women in relationships. This character was just as naive and undeveloped as she was when she was a starry-eyed child with the moon on a string. The reason I had no empathy towards this character was that she continually proclaimed independence time and time again throughout the show. She defined herself by the relationships around her which destroyed her credibility making it hard to believe her when she was being sincere. It was the same old song and dance about a girl who was the victim of her "daddy" issues. I have never in my life experience a piece of theatre that was more self-centered than this show.

The Production

The most painful thing to watch was seeing an ensemble who's strengths were clearly not being utilized. It was obvious to me that they were not respected as artists who could contribute and were instead used as puppets in Leslie's "masterpiece". And the few moments they were used, the show displayed a glimmer of life. In a nutshell, this show was clearly trying to do too much with too little. Although the dance routines had some advanced material, the ensemble simply did not have the skill or technique to pull it off. I will commend them for attempting to use the dance routines to convey a message. But sometimes, you shouldn't create art just for the sake of creating "art".

The Hope

The only saving grace of this production was the efforts of the ensemble. Their dedication to the story, enthusiasm, and vocal talent (shout out to Kirsten Torkildson, the 2nd eldest Leslie) was admirable. My absolute only and favorite number was "Pretty Boy". The young dancer - we'll call him Charlie since he is rather young and I do not want to reveal his name publicly - knew what it truly meant to portray story through dance. His technique combined with the stunning harmonies of the cast made this one moment the most bearable song of the show. I would drop $35 again just to see that number, and that number alone.

In Conclusion

I really do wish Leslie the best. If Leslie wants this musical to see any kind of commercial success, she needs to let go of perception that every idea she has is a good one. I wouldn't say that the music was terrible, but there is a lot of room for improvement. Musicals needs just as much time and attention to plot and story telling as a straight play. The music is there to heighten the story, not BE the story.

All in all, I give the show 1.5 out of 5 stars. Next time, don't make me pay $35 if you're going to waste two hours of my life.

For more information on this play, please visit the "My Own Fairytale" page on Freight & Savage. There are currently no more showings of this musical.

Cheers,

Kay