The wonderful collaboration between writer Vanessa Bates, director Chris Bendall and performer Ursula Yovich sees the stars in alignment for this delightful production.

Ursula tells a series of stories, based on fairy tales but with a veneer of modernity and edginess. The old fairy tales are tweaked a little so that Cinderella story is told from the perspective of an ugly sister who is in awe of her wild and attractive sister. The fact that the Cinderella character has been in juvenile detention and is harangued by her mother for the provocative way she dresses is indicative of Bates’s approach to storytelling.

Bates has successfully created an evening of fairy tales for adults that are funny, dangerous and thought provoking. A gritty reality pervades many of the stories. Little Red Riding Hood lies to her mother, saying that she is going to visit her grandmother when she is actually going underage drinking and loitering with undesirables. The Frog Prince, Rapunzel, Rumpelstilskin, Jack and the Beanstalk are all given innovative reimaginings. Rapunzel is a moving, poignant tale from a very different perspective.

Ursula’s performance is quite extraordinary in this dark, one-woman comedy. It is somewhere in the realm of Alan Bennett meets Fractured Fairy Tales. Ursula alters her persona through a variety of accents, a slight modification to her wardrobe and skillful physical acting. Ursula also displays her wonderful singing ability with her powerful voice filling the theatre. The songs are in the style of a modern musical with lyrics by Vanessa Bates and score by Joe Lui.

Alicia Clements set and costume design has quirkiness and also powerful dramatic touches and is ably supported by the versatile Joe Lui’s lighting design.

Recommended, THE MAGIC HOUR is performing at the Parramatta Riverside theatre until Saturday 28th June and is then touring nationally.

For more about THE MAGIC HOUR, visit http://www.performinglineswa.org.au/