Snow White, Cinderella, Little Red Cap, The Talking Fish, Crab People, The Frog Prince, Rapunzel, Rumplestiltskin- all of these charming, sassy, and exotic characters of Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm’s fairy tales are combined into one captivating performance. On Saturday night, McCluer High School brought these characters to life in their production of “The Brothers Grimm Spectaculathon”.

Don Zolidis wrote the show in 2007, based on classic fairy tales recorded by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm in 1812. “The Brothers Grimm Spectaculathon” cleverly interweaves a large portion of the Grimm Brothers’ 209 stories into one fast-paced, complex, and quite hilarious production. The Spectaculathon began with two narrators, who introduced a cast of enchanting characters and a plot with surprise twists. We quickly learn that Rapunzel has a serious attitude, and her mother is Gretel. In the final scene of Cinderella, there are only two actors remaining, but the show must go on! The audience is kept laughing from the very start as the hectic stories intertwine to create an amusing, organized chaos.

McCluer High School’s performance was anchored by its comedic timing and overall chemistry of the ensemble. The entire cast’s energy and interpretation of the script through delivery of their lines was very strong and kept the audience on the edge of their seat. Although some technical aspects and character development could be improved, the potential shown through every actor’s performance was astonishing.

Among the most noticeable of the production’s small ensembles was that of the two leading narrators. Both Scott Jost and Taelon Smith had spot on comedy, as well as excellent chemistry while telling the story.

During the show, one gifted actor stood out in particular: Troy Jones, who played first and foremost as Actor in the production, also appeared as a Crab Person, a King (the Frog Princess’ father), and later performed an entire scene by himself, acting as up to 8 roles at once! Jones’ expert comedy, master expression, and stage presence made him stand out among the cast, along with Sammekia McDole (Girl Without Hands, Oprah, and Little Red Cap’s Grandma), whose strong character development and acting was very noticeable each time she came on stage. There were also several small ensembles that stood out as very strong, including The Dwarves and The Crab People, whose comedy and character always hit the mark. Even though a couple of entrances were missed, the actors continued on and made them less noticeable. Unfortunately, a few actors did break character, but overall a very good performance.

Although this show doesn’t require much of a set, McCluer’s production used a set that was simple, yet effective. Most set piece changes were sloppy and sometimes frightening, and they often distracted from the action on stage. That said, the Stage Crew worked very well with the given space and large set structures.

The combining of 209 fairy tales into one show can be very challenging, but McCluer High School’s performance, although sometimes hard to follow, was overall right on the money.