I was still in grade school when The Princess Bride first hit theaters. I remember seeing it then, and 25 years later, it’s still one of my favorite movies. Most of the nearly capacity audience at yesterday’s performance of My Princess Bride at the Capital Fringe Festival felt the same way, even the six-year old child sitting in the front row.

Actor Joe Brack must have realized this would be the case when he started writing the show, for not doing so would have been only slightly less inconceivable than starting a land war in Asia or going against a Sicilian when death is on the line. Fortunately, he clearly did realize this, and the result of his work is a charming homage to this classic story.

If My Princess Bride were simply a solo show in which an actor performed all the parts from the movie and read some exposition from the book, it would still be entertaining, but not very artistic. Brack wisely expands upon the story by interweaving stories from his own biography, some are funny, some embarrassing, some touching. As for his portrayal of the colorful characters, from Westly (“As you wish.”), to Inigo (“Hello, my name is…), to Fezzik (“If there are, we all be dead!”), he largely sticks to the mannerisms we know so well, with occasional grace notes of his own.

Along with director Matty Griffiths, Brack also manages to stage the piece in such a way that he need only use a simple prop to suggest a more cinematic element, and the viewer’s imagination is allowed to do the heavy lifting. This approach probably wouldn’t have worked with a less beloved tale, but it’s doubtful that someone unfamiliar with the book or movie would bother seeing this play.

In the end, this is a fairy tale about true love, and love is the sentiment that comes across most strongly in Brack’s telling. He loves the story, he loves the characters in it, and he loves performing those characters for us. In return, we have a great time accompanying him as he storms the castle.

My Princess Bride has five remaining performances at the Capital Fringe Festival between tonight and Sunday. Full schedule and ticket information are available here.