When I began writing Rapunzel: A Hairy Tale, I wanted to start from something we all know – a fairytale we’ve grown up with – and then gently take it apart and rebuild it. Retelling a classic isn’t about replacing the original; it’s about asking what the story can mean now, and who it can speak to today.
Our Rapunzel is curious, enthusiastic, star-obsessed, a bit awkward and wonderfully odd – because if you’ve spent most of your life in a tower with only one person for company, you’re bound to be. I love young female characters with spirit and strangeness. Rapunzel’s journey isn’t about becoming perfect – it’s about becoming herself.
In mine and Tom’s version Rapunzel doesn’t need saving by anyone, she just needs someone to understand who she is and what she capable of.
So, we meet Benito. He isn’t a romantic hero arriving on horseback – he’s a boy trying to work out who he is and what strength really looks like. In this world, strength includes softness. Tears are allowed. Kindness is bravery. Their relationship isn’t about falling in love; it’s about recognising each other and becoming braver simply by being together. Friendship is transformational – and that felt an important impetus for our story.
Fairytales often tell us beauty equals goodness, or that safety lives in staying where you’re told. But sometimes protecting a child too tightly becomes its own kind of trap. At its heart, this story is about growing up and letting go, stepping into the world, even if it feels enormous and allowing someone you love to take that step too, even if it scares you.
And because it’s a family show, we also get to play. I’ve had enormous joy creating bold, playful characters who evolve right in front of us. We’ve invented our own theatrical language for the tower and the hair – rope-hair that goes on and on, playful staging that trusts children to imagine the rest. When you invite family audiences to co-create the magic, they rise to it beautifully.
This is a story with songs, silliness, warmth and heart, where imagination is our leader, friendship matters, and being yourself is the adventure. I can’t wait for families to meet this Rapunzel. Bring your curiosity, your imagination and your little adventurers – and let your hair down.
Sharon Clark
Writer – Rapunzel: A Hairytale
Posted on 13 November 2025
