GRIMM: a dark, adult twist on the classics

If you grew up on the Brothers Grimm, you know the stories were never meant to be sweet. The original tales were full of darkness and consequence, and that's exactly where Shake & Stir Theatre Co starts from with GRIMM, a dark, adult reinterpretation of the classics that lands at the Civic Theatre Newcastle on Wednesday 16 and Thursday 17 September. It's a far cry from the usual family fare, and the company is open about it: the show is recommended for audiences 14 and over, with dark themes, adult humour, sexual references, simulated violence, gore, coarse language and the depiction of alcohol consumption.

The premise is a modern Australian take on ancient folklore, set in an abandoned drinking house deep in a dark forest. From there, the familiar stories get a proper shake-up. Little Red Riding Hood trades her passive innocence for a woman with real agency; The Fierce Wolf presents a different kind of threat; The Beast comes across as unexpectedly vulnerable; and Ashputtel, the Cinderella figure, is driven by determination rather than luck. It's described as a darker, louder and decidedly more twisted retelling, blending comedy, darkness, horror and a good deal of theatrical invention.

On stage, an ensemble of four actors — Aljin Abella, Helen Cassidy, Melissa Kahraman and Henry Rollo — juggle multiple characters each, which is a big part of the show's energy. The production is adapted by Nelle Lee and directed by Daniel Evans, who is currently the Artistic Director of Queensland Theatre. The set, by Josh McIntosh, leans into the twisted atmosphere, part bar establishment and part fairy-tale nightmare, complete with a tilted piano and bunches of apples, while Paul McCann's costumes do the heavy lifting on the transformations. Guy Webster handles composition and sound, Trent Suidgeest the lighting and Dan Venz the choreography and movement, with NJ Price as fight director.

Practical details are straightforward. Both the Wednesday and Thursday shows start at 7pm, and the whole thing runs about 80 minutes with no interval, so you're in and out in a little over an hour. Tickets are A$65 standard, A$60 for under-17s and A$60 a head for groups of eight or more. After Newcastle, the tour keeps moving, heading to the Araluen Arts Centre in Alice Springs on 26 September and the AANT Centre in Darwin on 1 and 2 October.

It's worth knowing who's behind it. Shake & Stir was founded in 2006 by Nelle Lee, Ross Balbuziente and Nick Skubij and has since toured Australia and New Zealand with big titles like The Great Gatsby, Frankenstein, A Christmas Carol, 1984 and Fantastic Mr Fox. They've been nominated for the APACA Drover Award for Tour of the Year five times and took it home back to back in 2014 and 2015. The reviews on GRIMM have been warm, with critics calling it a delightfully chaotic romp through the darker corners of fairy tale lore, a wonderfully irreverent re-imagining and a smash-hit, deliciously twisted production — one described as savage and sophisticated, yes, but also intelligent and probing. If you're after a night at the theatre that doesn't hold your hand, this is a strong candidate.