By Jason and Alisha Hagey
Nestled behind The George S. and Dolores Dore Eccles Theater in Salt Lake City is the Regency Black Box theater where The Sting & Honey Company’s (S&H) original production of Sleeping Beauty’s Dream performs. This short, 80-minute play is a bold adventure exploring multiple mythologies and fairytales (all mixed with Shakespearian references) that traverses time, place, and psyche into a whole other realm of reality. The play is a drama, a comedy, and a tragedy – depending upon your point of view. As mind-bending as it is mythologically blending, Sleeping Beauty’s Dream questions what it means to love, sacrifice and exist.
Giambattista Basile first published Sleeping Beauty in 1634, but the story is much older and exists in many cultures. We all know the story of Aurora, but this production also borrows from the Norse story of Brunhilde, a valkyrie cursed by Odin to eternal sleep in a ring of fire. Taking these two versions of the story and mixing them, Javen Tanner (Playwright/Director/Artistic Director) says in his Director’s Note, “As I began thinking about writing a new version of Sleeping Beauty, I was drawn to the idea of writing about what she dreams while she sleeps. Wouldn’t it be interesting, I wondered, if Aurora dreamed of being a valkyrie and Brunhilde dreamed of being a princess?” Thus, Sleeping Beauty’s Dream crosses two realities, warping the distinction between what is real and what is a dream.
Flowing between these two realities are the witches: the good witches are Greek goddesses of night, time, and youth; the fourth is Sycorax, the mother of Caliban in William Shakespeare’s The Tempest, crossed with the Disney witch better known as Maleficent. In regal glory, Kathryn Atwood (Nyx) commands the stage. She is the matriarchal figure of the witches and, in a much larger scope, the entire production. She is joined in her majestic role by Susan Maurer Barry (Ananke) and Liberty Miller (Hebe). They are the bulwarks to the titular Sleeping Beauty and the foils to Deena Marie Manzanares’ (Sycorax) seething, malicious witch. Barry is strong, character-wise, and formidable. Miller is sweet and kind but not naive. Manzanares is larger than life, portrayed nearly as gigantic as all three witches opposing her.
Sleeping Beauty is played by Rain Flower Tanner (Aurora/Brunhilde), who has the monumental job of playing both the demure Aurora and the strong Brunhilde. She wrestles with the two crossing roles, ultimately proving that the princess is equally powerful as the valkyrie. In the course of the play, Tanner has two princely suitors. We first meet Bijan Hosseini (Tithonos/Odin), who begins a love affair with Aurora before her century-long sleep. Hosseini is dynamic, tackling different ages and characters with distinction. He is genuine and sincere as a prince and intimidating as the mighty Odin. The second prince we meet is Alec Kalled (Siegfried/Kephalos), Brunhilde’s prince. Kalled has comic timing that carries his character beyond being a mere prop of a prince, giving him dimension and pathos.
The character that will make you bust out laughing is the clown, Will Kempe (Robin). Kempe is Manzanares’s would-be thug and lackey. There isn’t a moment that he’s on stage that won’t have you giggling as Kempe has no shame in being the buffoon Robin requires.
When you step into the theater, the fire impression is almost an intake of breath. The set (designed by Javen Tanner) is gorgeous. He creates the briar patch, all being watched over by a silent and strong stone effigy. Complimenting this is Emma Bayless (Lighting Designer). Bayless highlights and emphasizes perfectly. The lighting never draws attention to itself but adds another layer to the story. Tara Lynn Tanner (Costumes) holds their own. The costumes are lovely, beautifully made, and create a sense of time and place all within their fantasy elements.
Sleeping Beauty’s Dream is a lovely sensory experience. The interweaving of history, mythology, and Shakespearean references is exciting. This is a production for people of all ages and has comedy and tragedy in equal measure. Dream is beautiful to watch, highly stylized, and a wonderful night out. Actors and audiences alike are delighted to be connected through storytelling.
The Sting & Honey Company presents Sleeping Beauty’s Dream by Javen Tanner
Regent Street Black Box, 144 S Regent Street, Eccles Theater, Salt Lake City, UT 84111
Saturday, July 16, 2022 – Saturday, July 30, 2022
Tickets: $15-$25
Contact: 801-355-2787
Sting & Honey Facebook Page
Ticket Page
Run time: 80 mins
Age policy: Recommended for ages 8 and up. There are some sad moments and some battle scenes. Children under 8 are welcome, but should be able to follow and stay engaged with a story for 80 minutes. No babes-in-arms. All patrons must have a ticket.
Correction… Regent Street Black Box at 144 S Regent Street at Eccles Theater.
We changed it. Please read over and make sure we got it right. Thanks for bringing this to our attention. ~FRR