Just in: a theatre review

  Once Upon a Mattress   is a musical adaptation of "The Princess and the Pea" and features Princess Winnifred's journey to win Prince Dauntless, battling royal rules and a meddling queen.  The music is by Mary Rodgers, lyrics by Marshall Barer, and book by Jay Thompson, Dean Fuller, and Marshall Barer.   This production was directed by Adam Cannon.  This was my second time seeing the show, so I could see the other cast in action. Direction: The director for this production was Adam Cannon. Cannon took a modern take to the show, where the characters weren't wearing the classic Renaissance costumes, but modern clothes. With the show being double casted, he took the strengths of each lead and let them develop their own character, separate from their counterpart. He was able to make sure that most of the actors could be seen on stage and that they all could have their moment. (There were some funny moments that I knew existed, but couldn't see them from where ...

Once Upon a Mattress   is a musical adaptation of "The Princess and the Pea" and features Princess Winnifred's journey to win Prince Dauntless, battling royal rules and a meddling queen.  The music is by Mary Rodgers, lyrics by Marshall Barer, and book by Jay Thompson, Dean Fuller, and Marshall Barer.   This production was directed by Adam Cannon.  Direction: The director for this production was Adam Cannon. Cannon took a modern take to the show, where the characters weren't wearing the classic Renaissance costumes. He was able to make sure that all the actors could be seen on stage and that they all could have their moment. Cannon made sure that duo actor scenes were strong and full of emotion. (Fred/Dauntless, Harry/Larkin, Aggravain/Dauntless) The co-choreographers were Lorelai Byers and Michelle Moore. The choreography for "Shy" was fun and exciting to watch. "Song of Love" was well rehearsed and brought an energy to the stage. All songs used t...

  Willy Wonka Jr.   is a musical adaptation of Roald Dahl's "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," tailored for young performers. The story follows Charlie Bucket, who wins a golden ticket to tour Willy Wonka's magical chocolate factory, along with other children who represent various negative character traits like greed and being spoiled. The tour is a test, and only the most deserving, like Charlie, make it through the factory's wonders and challenges.  This production was put on by the Hopebox Summer Camp. Their camp ran from June 9-July 16 and and had performance on July 15 and 16. The camp met for 3 hours a day, Monday-Thursday. This production had students from ages 7-17. The program had 48 students, with 25 students performing in each performance. Direction: The show was co-directed by Drew Anderson and Julie Williams. I was impressed with the quality of this production that this duo was able to create. Directing kids is no easy feat, but they made sure that ...