#robber bridegroom

[eliamatrell]

— MARGARET ATWOOD.

[cscclibrary]

[Engraving by Gustave Doré, showing Bluebeard admonishing his wife not to open the forbidden door.  Bluebeard is depicted as dark and enormous, and his protruding eyes stare greedily down at his wife.]

“Lady Mary was young, and Lady Mary was fair. She had two brothers, and more lovers than she could count. But of them all, the bravest and most gallant was a Mr. Fox, whom she met when she was down at her father's country house. No one knew who Mr. Fox was; but he was certainly brave, and surely rich, and of all her lovers Lady Mary cared for him alone.” --“Mr. Fox,”  Robber Bridegroom variant, English.

“Once upon a time there was a sorcerer who disguised himself as a poor man, went begging from house to house, and captured beautiful girls. No one knew where he took them, for none of them ever returned.” --“Fitcher’s Bird,” Brothers Grimm, German.

“They used to be an old man, he lived way over in the forest by hisself, and all he lived on was he caught women and boiled ‘em in front of the fire and eat ‘em.” -- “Old Foster,” Robber Bridegroom variant, North Carolina; reprinted in The Greenwood Library of American Folktales, vol. 2.

“Blue Beard told his wife that he was obliged to take a country journey for six weeks at least, about affairs of very great consequence. ... ‘Here,’ said he, ‘are the keys to the two great wardrobes, wherein I have my best furniture. These are to my silver and gold plate, which is not everyday in use. These open my strongboxes, which hold my money, both gold and silver; these my caskets of jewels. And this is the master key to all my apartments. But as for this little one here, it is the key to the closet at the end of the great hall on the ground floor. Open them all; go into each and every one of them, except that little closet, which I forbid you, and forbid it in such a manner that, if you happen to open it, you may expect my just anger and resentment.’” -- “Blue Beard,” Charles Perrault, French.

A young woman marries an older man, leaves her family for the first time, moves far away from all she knows.  Will her new husband be kind, or cruel?  Is she heading for happiness, or despair?  If sorrow is her lot, she has no way to call for rescue, no hope of escape.  Stories of wicked bridegrooms--cannibal or otherwise--abound in world folklore, and it’s easy to see how women’s ambivalence towards matrimony could have contributed to their prevalence.

Although most modern women have greater freedom and agency than women in previous centuries, Bluebeard, Mr. Fox, and their kin continue to fascinate and horrify.  True crime stories of husbands with skeletons in the closet (literal and otherwise), retellings of classic fairy tales, and ongoing scholarship and collections of folklore ensure that these villains remain in the popular consciousness.  Follow the links in the text above--or explore further on your own in our catalog or OhioLINK--to uncover more of these wicked husbands, and the women who outwitted them.

[songrememberswhen]

Don’t Monkey with Broadway. Macomb’s stage door. Patti’s Birthday Weekend!

[thatonefrenchwitch]

(of course this was recommended on pinterest for josephine’s board…)

[mysterious-secret-garden]

Grimm's fairy tales 'Robber Bridegroom’ by John Gruelle.

[bensonista4015]

Things I need immediately if not sooner:

1. Waitress cast recording 2. She Loves Me cast recording 3. Robber Bridegroom cast recording 4. Kelli O'Hara to announce her return to Broadway (preferably in a revival of Sunday in the Park with George (preferably with Raul Esparza as George)) 5. A Parade revival starring Jeremy Jordan

[disneyonbroadway]

This bluegrass 'Arabian Nights' arrangement has us wishing for more!

[mona-kent]

I’ve been trying to see as much theatre as possible lately, especially because the spring season is always packed with so many shows trying to get in before the Tonys. Beyond Broadway, though, I’ve been going to more off-Broadway shows lately, and there were a few that blew me away. First off, The Robber Bridegroom at the Laura Pels Theatre is Alex Timbers at his finest. His direction always has its own unique stamp on any show that he does; it always feels high quality on a low budget, which to be honest I prefer over many of the huge blockbusters productions that have come out in the last few years. This show in particular felt a lot like Peter and the Starcatcher, in that the cast is mostly on stage together the whole time using small props to make the story feel big. It’s so interesting and feels very homespun, which is really fitting seeing that the story is set in the woods of Mississippi. Performance wise, the whole cast is phenomenal. Steve Pasquale’s voice is always incredible, and he doesn’t disappoint here. Also, Leslie Kritzer is incredibly hysterical.

On the complete opposite end of the spectrum is Dear Evan Hansen. This show made me cry multiple times, and yet it is also incredibly joyous. Pasek and Paul have written and incredibly catchy but also intricate score. Waving Through a Window has been in my head nonstop since I saw it. While sounding simple at first, the lyrics have so much meaning behind them. It really connects with the feeling of being alone, especially in high school, but without falling into the normal tropes of corny teenager storylines. Also, Ben Platt is giving a Tony-worthy performance. The way that he portrays anxiety reminded me a lot of Alex Sharp in Curious Incident, in that it feels incredibly true and realistic and is captivating to watch. Also, his voice is absolutely insane! I’m really hoping that the show extends or transfers to Broadway because it really deserves it. If you can get a ticket, don’t even hesitate. Just go; this is a story that everyone needs to hear.