Review Roundup: FAIRYCAKES Opens Off-Broadway - See What the Critics Are Saying!

Douglas Carter Beane's Fairycakes officially opened last night, Sunday, October 24, 2021. Fairycakes is set to play a limited engagement through January 2, 2022.

Beane directs the cast of characters which features, Kristolyn Lloyd (Peaseblossom), Mo Rocca (Gepetto), Sabatino Cruz (Pinocchio) Jackie Hoffman (Moth), Kuhoo Verma (Cinderella), Z Infante (Cobweb), Ann Harada (Musterseed), Jamen Nanthakumar (Changeling), Julie Halston (Titania/Elizabeth), Arnie Burton (Oberon/Dirk), Chris Myers (Puck) and Jason Tam (Prince/Cupid).

Scenic design is by Shoko Kambara & Adam Crinson, costume design by Gregory Gale and lighting design by Jeanette Oi-Suk Yew. Original music by Lewis Flinn. Ellenore Scott will choreograph and serve as Associate Director.

One night in the woods, puckish mischief leads to mismatched lovers from across all your favorite stories. And what begins as love at first sprite, grows into something more as the feelings from one midsummer night carry over to the bright light of day. So come and sit for a spell. Because in this theater, magic is real.

See what the critics are saying...

Jesse Green, The New York Times: Did you ever want to see a fairy-tale mash-up, set amid the magic of nature, offering clever rhyme and delightful song, with a powerful theme to bring it all home? Well, this isn't that.

Joey Sims, New York Theatre Guide: Despite all its issues, Fairycakes will win you over. There's joy in seeing such a gorgeous array of theatrical royalty over-acting their hearts out, prancing around in silly costumes and, by all appearances, just thoroughly enjoying themselves. Sure, bring on the cricket - why the hell not.

Robert Hofler, The Wrap: And the award for best and most fabulously whimsical costumes in a new comedy performing in a small downtown theater Off Broadway goes to Gregory Gale. The more than three dozen extravagant ensembles that Gale has designed for the 12 actors in Douglas Carter Beane's "Fairycakes" are nothing short of stunning.

Melissa Rose Bernardo, New York Stage Review: Strangely, the wackiness that ensues during the play's single prose interlude makes more sense-and earns more laughs-than pretty much anything else in the show. "Oh this pirate, wooed me, convinced me to love him, then broke my heart," bemoans Moth. "I tell you when they say piracy is not a victimless crime, they ain't foolin'." But before you can say "if you believe clap your hands," everyone's back in rhyming fairyland-none of us the wiser, or much happier.

Frank Scheck, New York Stage Review: There's a murderer's row of theatrical talent both on and offstage in Douglas Carter Beane's new Off-Broadway comedy. A majority of the performers get applause merely from walking onstage, including such expert farceurs as Jackie Hoffman, Julie Halston, Arnie Burton, Ann Harada, Jason Tam, Kristolyn Lloyd, and even Mo Rocca. It's a shame, then, that their hard-working efforts, and I mean hard-working, fail to make Fairycakes anything more than an unfortunate misfire. Although there will be some who find this mash-up of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream and various fairy tales a delight, I suspect there will be many more who will feel like a trapped animal contemplating gnawing off his own foot to get free.

Adam Feldman, Time Out New York: Most of the text, though not always precise,
Is rhyming couplets, a tortured device
That traps the play in verse that is cloying
And rhythms that quickly grow annoying.
It's bold as a choice but-let us be fair-
A bitch to sustain unless you're Molière.
In straining to be constantly clever
Fairycakes seems to drag on forever
And Beane's direction, shapeless and manic,
Sets the stage in a state of dull panic.

Jonathan Mandell, New York Theater: The recipe for Fairycakes: Start with a cast of beloved New York stage actors known for their comic flair (Julie Halston, Anne Harada, Jackie Hoffman, et al), stick rhyming couplets in their mouths and dress them in the most colorful costumes of the season, then dump them in a pan of Midsummer Night's Dream. Pour in a heavy mash up of fairy and folk tales (Cinderella, Pinocchio, Sleeping Beauty, etc.) Sprinkle with intermittent wit. Chop up, and mix, until unrecognizable. Then serve the resulting concoction both half-baked and overdone.

Sandi Durell, Theatre Pizzazz: The messages are loud and clear: love yourself, write your own story, change, grow, adapt. Many a time, for those who have a problem with Shakespeare lingo, you'll miss some gems and some editing might be just the right arrow to shoot to rid the dead spots that seem to pop up in this overly long spoof of a fairytale. Do the Fairycakes remain ordinary or regain their enchanted state? Ah, ha . . . for me to know and you to find out!

Juan A. Ramirez, Theatrely: There is a whopping cast of twelve in Fairycakes, Douglas Carter Beane's new sendup of A Midsummer Night's Dream and other assorted fairy tales, which just opened at the Greenwich House Theater. Its stage is of a large enough size, but it buckles under the weight of Beane's bloated design: twelve performers, some playing multiple roles, struggling to find a spare minute with which to make an impression, and tools to help them.