Dust City
Once upon a time was a long time ago in Henry Whelp’s city. Now, the fairies are gone, and with them, their magical fairydust. Corporations manufacture synthetic dust to sell over the counter, while uncut nixiedust gets hawked by shady foxes in dark alleyways. But Henry never touches the stuff since his father went berserk and murdered a red-hooded girl and her granny on behalf of a golden-touch gangster named Skinner. See, dust is the stuff of miracles and fulfills destinies, which is fine if you’re a princess, but can lead to a big bad fate for a wolf like Henry. The premise is fractured fairy tale, but the play is pure noir: Chinatown via the Brothers Grimm. Henry gets in deep with Skinner’s crew to exonerate his dad and trips his way into a scheme to return the animalia (wolves, ravens, and the like) to their primitive state. The ending feels like it’s missing a twist or two, but the clever setup and gutting of fairy-tale tropes will garner plenty of enthusiasm. Grades 7-10. --Ian Chipman