'Sleeping Beauty' now a prince

01 December 2015 - 02:15 By Staff reporter

A radical retelling of the traditional fairy tale Sleeping Beauty has seen the princess dropped for a prince called Percy. According to reports in Britain's Guardian newspaper, Prince Percy will be in the princess's traditional role in the production at Bristol's Old Vic theatre.Instead of the princess pricking her finger and falling into a 100-year sleep, it will be Percy - and a heroine will be the one to wake him.Director Sally Cookson rewrote the tale for a new version. She felt the traditional version was outdated with a passive female heroine at the centre of the story, made famous by the Brothers Grimm in 1812.Cookson told the Guardian: "What we wanted was a proactive, feisty heroine."Many of these earlier versions were recorded by men, so had heroines who were really so passive it is just not healthy."I am sorry if there might be some children or, more likely, parents who think that is not how it is meant to be."But every time a fairy tale is retold we cannot help but adapt it in line with our ideology, regardless of whether that is a conscious plan." ..

There’s never been a more important time to support independent media.

From World War 1 to present-day cosmopolitan South Africa and beyond, the Sunday Times has been a pillar in covering the stories that matter to you.

For just R80 you can become a premium member (digital access) and support a publication that has played an important political and social role in South Africa for over a century of Sundays. You can cancel anytime.

Already subscribed? Sign in below.



Questions or problems? Email helpdesk@timeslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00.