This is the last weekend to see the charming story “The Princess and the Pea” at Creative Cauldron, its newest Learning Theater Production.
It’s delightful, it’s fun, and this variation by Ellen Selby and Lenny
Mendez (also, a co-director and understudy for the queen) makes a terrific spin on an old story for “children” of all ages, pre-school to 100 years and up.
It’s a “bachelor party” for a young prince (Alec Goldenberg) urged on by his parents, the king (Oscar Salvador, also a co-director) andqueen (Mendez) wearing elegant red cloaks (designed by Margie Jervis)who want their son to choose his lifelong mate from several candidatesand get out of the castle.
This “play book” (with music and lyrics by Matt Conner and StephenGregory Smith) is good enough to travel to children’s theatres nationwide.
The large cast of about 25 (I lost count) fills the small stage with action which never stops.
The ensemble sings “once upon a time” and a few songs here and there with marvelous musical accompaniment, including instrumentals that separate scenes (with orchestrations by Warren Freeman).
Creative’s students and other young actors had to audition for “Princess” which gave the princessly prospects good experience for the make-believe audition in the play.
In this rendition, one after another of the princesses parade by the prince with their own stories of why they would make a better wife than any of the others.
There is the “me-me-me-me” Princess Narcissa (Diana Alison) who doubles as a really great-great-great-grandmother (she is!),
“Mildred,” complete with all the antics, clothing and helpful devices to show her strut, and “Princess Mary” (or Princess Married, Emma Howell) with 26 deceased husbands who may have expired at the hands of the princess’s favorite hobbies, sharpening knives and making poison.
Who knows?
Twins Abby (Alison Harman) and Gabby (Isabella Silverman) make good times in wonderful unison.
Alas, a good woman is hard to find.
Meanwhile, the Royal Jester (Marie Solander) whose outstretched arms bob up and down seeming to grow in length to match her increasing steal of every scene she’s in, delivers hilarious commentary while she moves from one side of the stage to the other like a ballerina without toe shoes.
Whit Jenkins is the “pea,” in a rich green costume from head to foot (just in time for Saint Patrick’s Day!) who helps tell the story.
And what is a Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale without a wizard?
Not a great one, says Creative Cauldron’s wizard (Gus Knapp, another co-director) decked out in genuine costume and “facial design” with a cauldron, naturally, to boil things over.
But it takes a woman to make a wife and save the day (and Prince Dillon), a nameless princess for now since you’ll find no spoilers here (can you guess which one wins the coveted role?).
Throughout the show, realistic sounds are heard. Loud “thunder” and all sorts of clangs, bangs and lightning effects (by Lynn Joslin) can scare very young children.
Spanish language fills about a third of the script, but for non-Spanish speakers, the dialogue is fairly well understood without major gaps to fill missing pieces.
Other cast members are Madeline Varho, Harper Yin, Madeline Corley, Claire Corley, J’Nayla Steele, Arya Sridharam, Chris Espinoza, Zara Scherer, Ella Harvey, Emerson Kelleher, Marco Romero, Sara Albarracin and Cora Brock.
Creative team members include Laura Connors Hull and Gretchen Midgley, co-directors, and Nicholas J Goodman, stage manager.
The last shows are this Friday and Saturday nights at 7:30 p.m. with a Saturday matinee at 2:00 p.m. Sunday matinees, at 2:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. Adults, $20; Students, $18; limited availability of a family four-pack, $65 with code 4PK. Tickets for a live stream performance Saturday night at 7:30 p.m., $15. Tickets are available at creativecauldron.org.
