Sunday Arts Magazine

25 May 2017

Interview: E.Millington on The Fairytale Lives of Russian Girls

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Interview: E.Millington on The Fairytale Lives of Russian Girls

Brendan and Neil talk to Director Elizabeth Millington about a new play called The Fairytale Lives of Russian Girls on from 19 to 27 May at Irene Mitchell Studio – 28 St Martins Pl, South Yarra. It is presented by Boutique Theatre. Elizabeth was an actor and then director in Moscow but wanted to expand her horizons and eventually got to Melbourne. She feels there are many channels here, and a lot of collaboration between various artistic industries, which is very exciting. She is mostly freelance and is working with Boutique Theatre for the second time. The Fairytale Lives of Russian Girls is written by American playwright Meg Miroshnik who’d emigrated from Russia as a child and then returned there with her husband in about 2005. She saw her homeland with Western eyes which inspired the play. The play is about gentle, naïve ‘Annie’ who is pushed by her mother to reacquaint herself with Russia, and she arrives in an insane world of bears, witches and aggressive potatoes!! It’s a tongue-in- cheek play where it takes Russia’s reputation to the extreme. It is an all-female play and it addresses Western perceptions of women’s roles there and turns them on their head. It also juxtaposes Disney-like fairytales with dark themes. There is absurdity, magic realism, humour and darkness. Elizabeth also talks about the casting process, rehearsing, and the likely audience demographic.