Annie Lux’s play Charming looks at what happened next for Cinderella and her Prince. Find out at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe!
“Cinderella wants a divorce?! Prince Charming’s already trying day is about to get worse.
Cinderella’s Fairy Godmother has presented him with a list of demands that Prince Charming must agree to in order to change Cinderella’s mind.
Is the Prince willing to change? Are Cinderella’s demands even reasonable? Is divorce even possible in the realm of fairytale?”
Where: Forest Theatre at Greenside @ George Street
When: 1-23 Aug
Ticket link: https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/charming
Annie tells us more!
Cinderella not necessarily having her ‘happy ever after? Say it ain’t so! What made you choose this idea?
Ah, but what does ‘happily ever after’ actually look like? The idea started When Nigel Miles-Thomas, who’s one of our producers as well as an actor (Sherlock Holmes: The Last Act) suggested that I write a part for him.
After kicking around a few ideas, I realized he’d be perfect as Prince Charming in later life. Frankly, the divorce thing was a surprise to me too! I didn’t know that would be the premise until I wrote it.
But really, why shouldn’t fairy tale characters have midlife crises? Also, I really wanted to see Nigel in a pair of tights!
Why should audiences come along to see Charming?
We all need a good laugh these days! And it’s a chance to see fairy tale characters step out of, well, character.
The two main actors, Nigel and Claire Toeman, are old friends reuniting on stage after many years. Their chemistry is just so much fun.
Margot Avery, who performed The Portable Dorothy Parker at EdFringe in 2017 and 2023, has a wonderful turn as Cinderella’s Evil Stepmother. Plus there’s that Nigel in tights thing.
This is very a different show to your previous one about acerbic writer Dorothy Parker. What kind of people inspire you to write?
You mean besides my director, Lee Costello, who cracks a pretty good whip?
Seriously, it’s been really interesting to explore some of the characters in the Cinderella story in a play that doesn’t actually include Cinderella.
Both shows are comedies of very different sorts, but the one thing the two plays have in common is that the characters all enjoy words and word play. As do I!
I enjoy characters that surprise me, who show me things I hadn’t thought of until I actually write them. Who’d guess that Cinderella’s Fairy Godmother likes leopard print? Or that Prince Charming is color blind?
I’m also inspired by working with people I click with: Lee and Margot and I have been working together forever on The Portable Dorothy Parker. I can’t imagine going to Edinburgh without them.
What are you looking forward to at Edinburgh? Do Fringe festivals inspire you?
For me, there’s nothing more inspiring than the Fringe! Charming was actually born as an idea during the 2023 EdFringe. And being around so much creativity and so many creative people really gets my juices flowing.
I’m so looking forward to reconnecting with friends from previous years, as well as making new ones.
Not to mention Sunday Roast at the Doric and triple-cooked chips pretty much everywhere!
What’s next for Charming after Fringe?
This is a brand new play, but there’s already a lot of interest in New York and Los Angeles, as well as my hometown of Santa Fe, New Mexico.
We’d love to tour it and take it to other festivals as it grows and develops. I’m also writing a second act, so it will work as a full-length play as well as a stand-alone one act.