|
Snow White by Christian Youth Theater 
Once upon a time there was a vain queen who wasn’t at all happy when her magic “mirror, mirror on the wall” told her she was no longer
the fairest of them all. The queen tried to do away with the young girl who was
fairer, but her evil plots were undone through the pity of a hunter and the
assistance of seven
little dwarfs.Of course, it's the tale of Snow White – one of the most popular fairy tales ever since Walt Disney used it for his very first full-length animated film in 1938. And of course it’s the Disney version that the vast majority of us are all most familiar with. But for a taste of some of the older and darker versions of Snow White, come see this world premiere musical written by local theatre talent Katie Wilson who bases her story mostly on the Grimm’s fairy tale while nicely mixing together other versions and adding some new tidbits of her own. Katie Peterson is the very sweet if not always very swift heroine. Her sweetness and beauty attracts a charming circus performer named William and wins her the friendship of childhood cohort Rose Red, the animals of the forest, and the seven dwarfs. Her lack of swiftness gets her into all manner of trouble when the wicked queen keeps trying to kill her, and Snow White keeps letting the queen into the dwarfs’ home to make the murder attempts all the easier. Katie’s got a good voice and a sugary niceness about her that makes her seem very Snow White-ish.
But what would this story be without the seven dwarfs??? The show really begins to take off with their entrance near the end of the first act, beginning with their adorable introduction to Snow White. But don’t expect Grumpy, Sleepy, and Dopey. These guys have real names, though their individual personality quirks still manage to peek through even without being named after their primary personality traits. But mostly they work as a team – a loyal band of brothers with hearts as big as Fred (Fred being the giant dwarf in their group, and I guess the anti-runt of the family). That Fred (Brett Dunn) got a little extra stage time during intermission on opening night when he serenaded his grandparents with Our Love is Here to Stay for their sixtieth wedding anniversary. Obviously their big hearts exist both on and off the stage. Now if only they could get that Snow White to stop opening the door for her wicked stepmother… Donna Louden gives a standout performance as Rose Red, Snow White’s comical best friend who helps narrate the show and who, like Angelina Jolie and Jennifer Garner, does her own stunts that included tripping and sliding violently in a playful race to beat best friend Snow White into the room – either falling on cue or they just worked it in very well! Aaron Segina is the humble and likeable Prince William who is always tailed by his pragmatic sidekick Max (Brent Beavers). Rose Red and Max aren’t too crazy about the romance of their best friends, lamenting over their sidekick blues with the amusing Playing Second Fiddle scene. Other notable performances come from Karina Gillette as Evangeline’s ditzy maid, Samantha Stuman as Rose’s mother, Ashley Duncan as Snow White’s real mother, David Sensenbaugh as the hunter who risks his life for Snow, Lirenza Gillette and Avery Foncerrada as the darling Little Snow White and Little Rose Red, and a great ensemble of storytellers, dancers, and acrobatic circus performers.Performs through May 29, 2005.
|
But it can be good to be the queen – especially the evil
Queen Evangeline, Snow White's stepmother. Kaitlyn Terrill plays the ridiculously vain and
murderous queen with devilish delight – especially when she goes into disguise
in her many efforts to kill off Snow White. Those disguises include a gypsy as
she tries to get Snow White to buy an enchanted sash with some clever and witty
lyrics sung to Brahms’ Hungarian Dance #5. Then there's the mysterious mustached man
selling lethal and extremely stubborn hair combs (on opening night, the
mustache fell off, leading to some hilarious adlibbing by Kaitlyn to stay in
disguise) And finally Evangeline sacrifices her youthful beauty to become an
old hag peddling the infamous poisoned apple. She also gets to shine in the
show’s greatest tune, a tango-like piece called The Fairest of Them All,
during which she dreams up her murderous schemes within the company of her
amusing Mirror magnificently portrayed by Jarom Smith (who gets in
little digs at his vain owner here and there). These scenes are the visually most
impressive of the show with their dark, reddish lighting and mesmerizing
dancing by “Evangeline’s Spell Dancers” featuring choreography by Danielle
Levas.