WET's latest play explores the gray area between fantasy and reality

by Miryam Gordon - SGN A&E Writer

THE FAIRYTALE LIVES OF RUSSIAN GIRLS
WASHINGTON ENSEMBLE THEATRE
Through October 22

A cheeky, shadow-puppet-enhanced fairytale just opened at Washington Ensemble Theatre. WET's production of Meg Miroshnik's The Fairytale Lives of Russian Girls is only the second time the play has been fully produced (other than in a Russian translation), according to director Ali el-Gasseir. The first was at the Alliance Theatre in February of this year, so it's a very new piece. All six ensemble actors do a great job with it.

It has a sprawling feel, as a young Russian-American female (there is a play on words to determine if she is a 'girl' or a 'woman'), Annie (Samie Spring Detzer), daughter of a refugee Russian, returns to her birthplace to polish her Russian accent and find answers to family mysteries. Her mother (Aimee Bruneau, who plays multiple roles) sends her to an 'auntie' (Macall Gordon) who, she promises, will take good care of her. But there is something a bit wrong with this alleged aunt, who monologues to us very early on that she is really Baba Yaga, a terrifying Slavic fairytale character you had best beware of!

So, a world-spanning play must fit into WET's very tiny stage area. A creative use of lighting and projection screens helps delineate tight hallways, nightclubs, palaces, and tiny apartments, and also creates backdrops for the periodic shadow plays. Since it's a world that already crosses the border between reality and fantasy, the stage is well-set to whisk us to another place.

UNUSUAL EMPOWERMENT
Because this play was written by a woman and is played by six other women, you might expect it to reflect solid feminist ideology. Yet, the costuming and stage directions immediately set a very different tone - that of women who tempt in the sexy fashion of men's magazines! There are bustiers, garter belts, short skirts, and high heels galore. Still, it's ultimately an empowerment story.

Annie is very American as she crosses into Russia, quite unprepared for the world of manipulation she has entered. She meets a neighbor (Libby Barnard) whose boyfriend has suddenly turned into a bear, and her 'auntie,' who loses a year of her life every time someone asks her a question. Then there's Katya (Shannon Olivia Campbell), who is having an affair with the Tsar - after predicting she would at age seven, and Nastya (Leah Pfenning), who turns out to be Annie's fairy godmother.

Things get so dangerous that fire and an ax are the only means of salvation. Annie learns how to really take care of herself, and maybe there is a happy ending after all.

Everyone has a credible Russian accent, thanks to dialect coach Hannah Victoria Franklin. The costumes are a credit to Katie Hegarty. Great sound design is by James Schreck, spooky lighting is by Marnie Cummings, and the set design is Amiya Brown's.

The atmosphere is both fun and eerie, with the emphasis on fun. While the characters don't take themselves that seriously, the actors draw you in and keep you entertained.

For more information, go to www.washingtonensemble.org or call (206) 325-5105.

Discuss your opinions with sgncritic@gmail.com or go to www.facebook.com/SeattleTheaterWriters.

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