Tales with Teeth: Four Nightmares

See it if you’d like to see a set of sharp takes on fairy tales that mine the material for its fully grown-up content.

Don't see it if you are looking for a full-length play, or elaborate sets, or realism, or do not like direct address in the theater.

Also Every 1 of these playlets from Don Nigro—5 of them in the final staging—is delightful in its realization here by Nylon Fusion Theatre. Every 1 is virtually a solo play, though non-speaking 2nd actors enter into a few of them like walking set pieces. 4 of the plays bring us characters from the full range of kid’s literature—Jack-in-the-Box, the Nutcracker, a very Trumpty Humpty-Dumpty, the wife of the Headless Horsemen. And the 5th, beautifully played, infuses a deeper chill into the set with a wide-ranging account of Medusa. The actors are fearless, using the full space, stage & every aisle available, interacting sparely with audience members (except for Jack in his box). Sets appropriately evoke Kids Theater. The fact that the audience is adult allows these pieces to go dark, even grotesque. I found in the full set an abundance of grown-up pleasure.... Read more Read less

See it if you would enjoy an up-to-date and adult take on some childhood stories with actors shining with the new material.

Don't see it if you are not in for a little silliness or do not like bare bone sets.

See it if Some days are fairy tales or stories change the round to be a little twisted but really interesting

Don't see it if Not a Long play and six individual stories

See it if You like dark and twisted retellings of familiar fairy tales.

Don't see it if You are looking for a fully developed piece with lots of production value.

See it if 5 (not 4) playlets, one great, 2 good, one ok but about twice as long as needed, one a Trump parody that really didn't work for me.

Don't see it if you need all parts of a play to be equally good. This is wildly uneven

See it if You like; twisted fairy tales. Macabre often, and wickedly delicious. Coney Island weirdness. Actors enjoying tells you tales.

Don't see it if You don't like Spare staging. Twisted fairy tales told to you in an intimate setting. Or hot spaces. So what- it's only 70 minutes!

See it if You enjoy small off beat shows & creative storytelling with humorous and dark twists to classic fairytales

Don't see it if If you dislike low budget productions that are somewhat unpolished or solo performances

See it if You like short funny one person skits

Don't see it if You have no sense of humor and don’t appreciate fairy tales

See it if You like dark takes on traditional stories; short vignettes; a stripped down festival feeling (with decent costuming!)

Don't see it if You want high production value; a more in-depth, detailed story

See it if you want to think about the stories you have always heard and ponder who is telling them and why.

Don't see it if If you are perhaps scared of Humpty Dumpty or the Nutcracker, Jack in the box, and the like.

Also Master playwright Don Nigro has come up with some twisted takes on stories you may remember from childhood. One of them is brand new for this collection: a very topical story about an egg-head and his wall. These short plays are thought-provoking, nicely acted and directed, and will make you feel better.... Read more Read less

See it if you like the idea of a dark, alternate take on popular nursery rhymes (and one oddly chosen Greek myth) performed by solid actors.

Don't see it if you're really looking for consistency. Each monologue in itself is good, but a couple of them are awkward within the piece as a whole.

See it if You like fairy tales, and their subversion, and short, short, short stories.

Don't see it if You only like classics, large scale productions or single story shows.

See it if You enjoy seeing tales with a twist. Production is not too long gets to the point.

Don't see it if You are not into scary stories or dramatic acting.