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by kellie abrahamson
kabrahamson1@aol.com
Since my children were born, I’ve been diligent in taking them to museums and films to give them an appreciation for creative endeavors. In my quest to infuse art into their lives, I decided it was time for my two-year-old and four-year-old to experience the theatre. Their first play was a school matinee of “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” at the Alhambra Dinner Theatre last week. The production, designed for the youngest of audiences, will run from now until April of 2007.
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Of course, everyone knows the story of Snow White. The young princess, deemed too beautiful by her wicked witch of a step mother, is stuck living in the forest with seven Dwarfs to keep her company. Banishment is not enough for the Wicked Queen, who goes to great lengths to kill the girl and once again be named fairest in the land by her magic mirror. Her plans, however, are foiled by Snow White’s new friends and true love’s first kiss.
The Alhambra’s version of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs varies from the Disney version most of us are familiar with, in that there is little to no music and very few actors in the cast. This stripped down adaptation is perfect for the young target audience, whose attention spans may not be able to handle a full blown musical. The cast is made up of five of the theatre’s regular actors. Toni Triano, a veteran actor who has performed in Alhambra productions since 1988, plays the show’s narrator and the brief but important role of the magic mirror. Dressed in khakis and a polo shirt, Triano moves the show along by directing the audience (more on that later) and reading from a massive storybook. Katie Scott, a fairly new addition to the theatre, but one that’s made a big splash recently in their production of Oklahoma, plays the leading lady, Snow White. Her performance mirrors that of her famous animated counterpart beautifully. Our antagonist, the Wicked Queen, is played by Patty Eyler, a local actor who has crisscrossed the country perfecting her craft and is currently starring in the FCCJ Artist Series’ production of Menopause the Musical. Eyler is terrific here, not quite frightening but nasty enough to make the audience love to hate her. Matthew Jay Campbell, who plays the handsome prince, and Henry Brewster, who plays both the huntsman and the palace guard, have relatively minor roles but manage to shine.
The show itself is extremely fun and interactive. The audience is invited to provide sound effects and even serve as the sets. In the scene where Snow White and the huntsman walk through the forest, children with raised arms played the trees from their seats. Over the course of the show the audience also plays the wind, birds in the trees and other forest creatures. Children are invited on stage to play trees hiding Snow White from the Wicked Queen and the titular seven Dwarfs are also played by kids, selected by their teachers, parents or guardians prior to the show at the theatre’s request. The lucky would-be actors get to come on stage, don hats and placards starting their role and get to utter lines as their respective dwarf. The result is sweet and amusing and manages to keep most of the young audience members focused on the show instead of wiggling around in their seats.
My two little ones, who have never been to a play before, were no exception. My daughter Isabelle, born and raised on Disney, was familiar with Snow White before hand and was excited about seeing her on stage. She participated with gusto when prompted and clapped enthusiastically when the show was over. Before the play I feared Zeke, my two-year-old son, would get bored and may not be able to sit still for the nearly hour-long production. I was way off! The child was completely entranced by play and sat quietly in my lap the entire time, just taking it all in. Never did he stir, not even when his sister got up in the middle of the show to use the potty. That, my friends, is the highest of praise.
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