Once upon a time, four fabulous French femmes invented the fairy tale. Not the Grimms. Not Disney. The Fairytalers is a high-energy, history-reclaiming joyride now showing at the Meat Market, and it’s everything your glittery, story-loving heart desires. This whirlwind of a show resurrects the nearly-forgotten lives of Charlotte, Catherine, Marie, and Henriette. The original “Conteuses Précieuses”, who spun tales of ogres and enchanted creatures while battling very real societal monsters of their own: convents, towers, scandal, and patriarchy. Writer and director Ellis Austin Finnie takes these women out of the dusty archives and drops them smack bang into the spotlight, where they absolutely belong.
The concept is simple but striking: the women, now deceased, are deeply unimpressed that the Brothers Grimm got all the credit. They’re trying to uncover any mention of themselves in the modern world. What follows is a meta-theatrical, heartfelt, and hilarious retelling of their legacies, peppered with outrageous storytelling, shadow puppetry, paper crowns, and plenty of fourth-wall-breaking sass.
The cast? Divine.
• Emily Farrell is a scene-stealing delight as the flamboyant and witty Catherine D’Aulnoy.
• Janine Kwok brings warmth and cheek to the quietly passionate Marie L’Heritier.
• Olivia Morison’s performance as Henriette de Murat is grounded and graceful, laced with steely elegance.
• Daisy Valerio is luminous as Charlotte-Rose de Caumont de La Force, commanding both comedy and heartbreak with ease.
The minimalist set by Fiona MacDonald is cleverly functional and the cast shift the pieces around like magical stagehands, transforming spaces with ease and energy. MacDonald’s costume work also shimmers with imagination, nodding to both period aesthetics and playful theatricality.
The lighting and sound design (by Ashleigh Basham and Justin Heaton) enhance the fantastical atmosphere without overpowering the performances. The shadow puppetry sequences, tales told in flickering silhouette on a screen, are especially enchanting and add a lush visual layer that adds to the whimsy.
But beyond the sparkle, this show lands an emotional punch. It’s a celebration of the women who used stories as a means of survival and resistance when they had no other power. It asks: Is it better to be remembered by name, or by the impact you made, even if your name is lost?
By the end of the 90-minute journey, you’ll not only know their names, but you’ll want to write them in glitter across the sky.
An irreverent, intelligent, and emotionally rich love letter to the women who birthed fairy tales. Funny, fierce, and just the right amount of feminist rage wrapped in a velvet ribbon. Go see it. And bring a friend who still thinks the Grimms were first.
To book tickets to Fairytalers, please visit https://www.ellisaustinfinnie.com.au/fairytalers.
Photographer: Freya Valerio
