This time, Sleeping Beauty awakes from her slumber before the prince kisses.
That the smooch of a man riding to the rescue isn?t the thing that wakes her from her deep sleep is only one of the ways this strong-willed, independent Beauty is different from her fairy-tale sisters.
You can find this spunky princess in David Gonzalez?s staged version of ?Sleeping Beauty? ? a modern twist to the classical tale, co-commissioned by the New Jersey Performing Arts Center.
Gonzalez is a storyteller who uses visual arts, music, movement and spoken words to engage an audience. His ?Sleeping Beauty? comes to Newark Sunday.
???Sleeping Beauty? was always kind of an incomplete story for me,? said Gonzalez, of New York City. ?She just falls asleep and waits.?
In his version, Gonzalez gives the princess a feminist makeover, highlighting her artistry, courage, determination, ferocity, gratitude, humor and intelligence.
During the princess?s long rest, Gonzalez describes her dreams ? giving her more to do, at least internally, than just ?laying there waiting for her prince.? In this version, she?s more than ?the object of desire,? Gonzalez says.
?David doesn?t play to stereotypes and puts in a different spin on a classical fairy tale,? said Sanaz Hojreh, assistant vice president of arts education at NJPAC. ?Sleeping Beauty has her own thoughts and emotions and can take care of herself. She?s very present in the story and not passive. The princess shows kids there?s more than one side to the story.?
There?s more than one way to tell it, too, as kids who only know the tale from the Disney film will find out at this show. In telling his story, Gonzalez describes certain things but allows children to create the rest in their imaginations, making the story ?a bit more personal,? he says. He uses a screen onstage so the audience can visualize where the characters travel.
?The storyteller conjures half a world of feeling, of the imagination,? Gonzalez said.
?But what makes it so special is that the story is completed in the individual imagination of the child. So each child completes it and feels like it?s their own. They generously give back with their imagination to complete it, and that?s what makes it such an intimate form of storytelling.?
Gonzalez himself wears a jester-like costume while telling the tale ? completely in rhyme ? for the 40-minute show. Also onstage is pianist Daniel Kelly, playing music inspired by Bach.
Gonzalez has traveled to 22 countries telling stories in his unique way. Most recently, he performed ?Delgadina,? a Chilean fairy tale, at Hillside Elementary School in Livingston through the Young Audiences of New Jersey .
?I try to reach the highest intelligence of the children,? Gonzalez said. ?I really believe in their ability to enter the highest realms of human intelligence and depth of feeling, as long as you do it the right way.?
David Gonzalez?s Sleeping Beauty
When: 2 p.m. Sunday
Where: New Jersey Performing Arts Center in the Victoria Theater. 1 Center St, Newark
How much: $22. Visit njpac.org or call (888) 466-5722.
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