Dark romance and gothic fantasy are ironically having their time to shine right now, and at the forefront are women and all their complex stories which are messy, powerful, conflicted, and completely unapologetic. That’s exactly what Tiger Bride delivers.
Premiering at Soulpepper Theatre in Toronto, Tiger Bride is not your average musical theatre show.
Inspired by Angela Carter’s cult-favourite short story The Tiger’s Bride, this 80-minute production reimagines the Beauty and the Beast myth as a dark indie-rock fever dream packed with haunting live music, candlelit gothic visuals, and electric storytelling.
Created by acclaimed Soulpepper artists Hailey Gillis, Andrew Penner, and Frank Cox-O’Connell, the production features 16 original songs that blur the line between live concert, cabaret, and contemporary theatre. And the result is something unique, immersive, raw, and unforgettable: an experience designed for true music lovers, dark fantasy fans as traditional thespians.
Rather than retelling Beauty and the Beast through romance or redemption, Tiger Bride explores desire, identity, power, and self-liberation through a contemporary feminist lens. It’s gothic fantasy with teeth: emotionally nuanced, visually intoxicating, and pulsing with live music energy.
“This story got me right away,” says co-creator and performer Gillis. “It was sexy, scary, sad, wild, and fresh. When I read it I could immediately hear the sound of it — its ebbs and flows, big, fast, and weird, old wistful piano and electronic pulsing rhythm.”
For co-adaptor and director Cox-O’Connell, the appeal lies in the production’s collision of genres and emotions. “The story is a gothic, horror, sexually subversive, punk rock cover of a classic fairy tale,” he explained. “For artists who have worked to smudge the line between rock concert, bargain-basement cabaret, and populist theatre performance, we find it thrilling.”
Tiger Bride takes over Soulpepper Theatre from May 29 to June 21,, and tickets start at $40. For more information, visit Soulpepper’s website.
