The Secret in the Wings

Once upon a time there was a little theater that put on a play weaving together six obscure fairy tales in a delightfully, loose way. The tales, taken from Grimm’s and Andersen’s collections, describe the usual stories of courtship and family ties.

Following Theatre Lunatico’s October tradition of productions like Tales from Behind the Basement Door and The Moors, this creative company brings Mary Zimmerman’s playful production, The Secret in the Wings, a performance sprinkled with puns and witticism.

Austrian-born American psychologist Bruno Bettleheim theorized that the fantastical nature of these stories is an important device to communicate problems that do not represent a literal or external world, but rather an inner process taking place in a child’s mind. Zimmerman’s version of classic fairy tales is designed to lift your spirits instead of drag you down.

A pair of daffy parents are leaving their terrified little girl with a baby sitter. Miss Perry, the ogre. In fact, she’s an ogre with a tail. “Will you marry me?” she says menacingly to the girl. The ogre’s tail becomes a tale as she begins to read one of the stories.

Jennifer Greene as mother, Lauri Smith as father, and Umut Yalcinkaya as child

The actors offer twists to the well-known stories. A rose offered to the ogre by the father alludes to the stolen rose in “Beauty and the Beast.” A suitor offering a ring instead of a slipper recalls “Cinderella.”

In the vignette of “The King's Three Sons,” the actors recite the beginning of the story in turn and soon, after each has taken a bride, are off to a 17-year war, accompanied by a military drum beat.

We are introduced to the “Three Blind Queens” with a lovely lilting song reciting their lives accompanied by a harmonium. Near starving during the time of the 17-year war, the pregnant Queens are reduced to some gruesome solutions.

Each tale is left at the moment of calamity to shift into another story, like a dream that flits from scene to scene

In “The Princess Who Wouldn’t Smile,” a King offers his daughter’s hand in marriage to the man who can make her smile. She makes the stipulation that for those who fail, it’s off with their heads. Thrift shop lampshades and basket balls humorously demonstrate the beheadings. As with most productions at Lunatico’s tiny theatre, costumes and props are at the bare minimum, allowing the acting to shine.

Liam Blaney, Christian Jimenez, Shawn Oda, Umut Yalcinkaya, and Jennifer Greene

I really enjoyed the silhouettes in “White Snakes.” Inspired, I think, by Arthur Rackham’s black and white illustrations. Balinese shadow puppets are also reminiscent of this style. Even though the awkward moments putting the transparent screens in place didn’t detract from the enjoyment of the scenes, I did leave the theater wondering how they could have done that transition more smoothly.

See The Secret in the Wings and if you don’t live happily ever after you will at least have experienced the delight of time well spent at Theatre Lunatico.


The Secret in the Wings by Mary Zimmerman, directed by Michael Barr, music by Liam Blaney, lighting by Francesca Berlow, set by Aella Ney, sound by Daynna Rosales, costumes by Elana Swartz. At Theatre Lunatico, La Val’s Subterranean Theater, Berkeley, CA – To November 1, 2026.

Info: theatrelunatico.org

Cast: Liam Blaney, Eileen Fisher, Jennifer Greene, Sarah “Eli” Hampton, Christian Jimenez, Shawn Oda, Erin K. Perry, Lauri Smith, and Umut Yalcinkaya.