The Secret in the Wings

“Once upon a time”… a babysitter reads as a young girl listens. As he reads, the tales come to life on stage. The Secret in the Wings, written by Mary Zimmerman, explores common themes of childhood coupled with a wit and humor that makes a bleak world seem not so terrifying.

Based on Grimms’ fairy tales, the play includes references to and highly stylized depictions of murder, incest, betrayal, self-harm, infanticide, and cannibalism.

The Secret in the Wings is a play by Mary Zimmerman that blends lesser-known fairy tales with humor and wit to explore themes of human nature, transformation, and the power of storytelling. The play is set in a basement and features a framing story about a child and her babysitter. The babysitter reads from a book, and the characters from the tales appear, each breaking off before the worst part. The central tale is told without interruption, and then each previous tale is resumed, with each disaster averted. The play’s intermingling of stories creates a landscape of mystery and curiosity, and encourages the audience to question what they see and consider that things may not always be what they seem.

The play includes dark themes like violence, grief, incest, and murder, but also explores love, shame, loyalty, and worthiness of love. Some say the play is loaded with dread, calamity, and gruesome scenes, such as three pregnant queens who give their eyes to an intermediary, or two queens who cannibalize their sons due to hunger. The play also includes design elements like a basement set, sound design, and lighting.