Out in the Woods

Once upon a time, a troupe of Memphis drag queens looked at your favorite fairy tales and thought, “These could use more hairspray.” The result was Out in the Woods: FOG Fairy Tales, a two-act variety show that dragged (literally) classic stories kicking and screaming into the spotlight at the Evergreen Theatre in April 2024.

Directed by the acclaimed Irene Crist and written by FOG company members, the show opened with Mother Goose herself, played by Allysun Wunderland, who served as narrator, ringmaster, and moral compass for the evening. From there, the audience got Goldilocks and the Three Bears with a twist you did not see coming, a country mouse and city mouse situation that leaned hard into the puns, and a prince-meets-pigeon love story that answered questions nobody asked. Humpty Dumpty’s big number was set to “I Fall to Pieces,” because of course it was. The Queen of Hearts presided over a courtroom scene with enough drama to make Judge Judy blush, and Rapunzel’s tale got a complete reimagining that had nothing to do with the version you read as a kid.

After intermission (and after the audience had a chance to collect themselves at the bar), Act Two delivered Sleeping Beauty’s rude awakening, a gender-corrected retelling of Gretel and Hansel (women first, thank you), and a “Real Friendships of Fairyland” reunion segment that gave the characters a chance to spill behind-the-scenes tea. The evening closed with the Ugly Duckling taking center stage and Mother Goose delivering a sincere send-off: take care of each other.

The show opened to a packed house and ran two weekends. The full cast included Goldie Dee Collins, BeBe, Bliss, Phyllis Feathers, Will Ryder, Bela D’Ball, Camille Collins, Brenda Newport, Jennifer Murry-Rodley, David Winter, Fantasia Bordeaux, Greg Hammond, and Christopher Cox. Out in the Woods went on to win the Ostrander Award for Best Ensemble at the 40th annual ceremony, along with awards for Hair and Wig Design and Sound Design. Proceeds from the run supported Love Doesn’t Hurt, a nonprofit working to end relationship violence.