All That Was Left of Them, which premiered last night at the Goethe Institute as part of the Fringe Festival, is a product of the Yellow Chair Theater Company of Wesleyan University. Despite all three actors and the rest of the crew being busy students or recent graduates of the university, the company managed to pull off an entertaining 55 minute performance, full of wit, intellect, a bit of dark humor, and even a touching moment or two.
All That Was Left of Them combines and reinterprets two Hans Christian Andersen (of The Ugly Duckling and Thumbelina) fairy tales: The Steadfast Tin Soldier and The Girl Who Stepped on Bread. No need to break out your dusty box of childhood memories before you go though, because the cast recreates the stories, giving the audience all the important details they may have forgotten (or never heard). The simplicity of the stories is matched by the use of minimal props, as if two siblings were acting out Andersen’s stories in their bedroom, using whatever objects lay in their room.
The Steadfast Tin Soldier is reminiscent (or vice versa) of Toy Story, with a one-legged tin soldier and a paper doll ballerina dancing and romancing while their owners rest. And, like the flick, trouble ensues as the soldier goes on a bit of a scary ride. The Girl Who Stepped on Bread is the darker tale of a girl named Inger, “the most evil girl I have ever met.” Staying true to fairy tale form and its fondness for lessons, young and angry Inger gets sent to the dungeon for being a bad girl.
It is in this second half of the play that the actors, and the dialogue, truly shine. With only three actors on stage, they represent whoever’s story needs to be told, regardless of gender, age, or other identifiers. As Inger stands tied and tangled, her two taunters switch from spelling bee contestants, to a date on MTV’s “Next,” to schoolgirls on a playground, all with hilarity and ease. Particularly silly moments are highlighted by spontaneous laughter and applause from the crowd as the characters switch in seconds from first mocking Inger in several rounds to finally showing compassion.
All That Was Left of Them will be preformed at the Goethe Institute at 812 7th Street NW through Sunday July 12. Tickets are $15. Upcoming performances are Friday, July 10 at 8 p.m.; Saturday, July 11th at 1 and 5:15 p.m.; and Sunday, July 12th at 5 p.m.
Tickets can be purchased at the Capital Fringe Festival Box Office at 607 New York Ave NW, by phone at 866-811-4111, online at www.capfringe.org, or with cash only at the Goethe Institute one hour prior to performance if space is available.
