Recycling fairy tale characters and plots into new stories for the theater isn't an original idea. The late Lisa Matsumoto did it successfully with her fractured pidgin "Once Upon One Time" trilogy.

But local playwright Alvin Chan, now working out of New York City, takes a different tack. In "A Queen for Romancia," he writes dialogue in iambic pentameter that comes out rhyming, but that isn't remarkably richer for the effort.

Before concluding that the idea simply goes from bad to verse, consider that the poetry does add some romance to "Romancia" — a kingdom where the Prince must marry to save his people. It also has a lulling mantra effect on the ear, subliminally adding some depth to an exceedingly shallow storyline.

What saves the performance is director Paul Cravath's go-for-broke, everybody-onto-the-stage approach, and several death-defying performances that end up being pretty successful. Actors who are cast against type create some fresh and daring interpretations that ultimately succeed.

The dying King (William Murray) turns over the marital obligation to two sons. Prince Charming (Joshua Welding) is a vain egotist who wins over Sleeping Beauty (Heather Galbreath) only to find that she can't stay awake long enough to form a complete sentence.

So the burden of finding a bride shifts to the straight-laced Prince Bland (Jordan Kook) who dutifully works from a list of candidates, oblivious to (Cinder)Rella (Joni Llamedo).

Expect energy and sass from "A Queen for Romancia." But Shakespeare it ain't.