Photo provided by Pumpkin Theatre.
A mix between an intimate storytelling session, a puppetry performance and traditional theatre, The Pumpkin Theatre presents it’s groovy production of The Frog Prince, “frogtastically” directed by Ryan Michael Haase.
Set in the dy-no-mite disco era, this psychedelic adaption brings a whole new flavor to this classic tale. The far-out young Frog Prince Eric must convince the pretty punk-rock Princess Pandora to kiss him in order to break the cruel curse placed on him by the evil queen Drizelda, which happens to be the princesses’ aunt. But the teenage princess faces her own growing-up woes; feeling that “nobody understands her,” even though they literally cannot; due to a tongue-tied curse Drizelda has cast upon her. The Frog Prince is a cute story of budding teenage love that ends in a happily-ever-after with a cast of characters that are “toadily” rad.
The Frog Prince is a toad-rific play with loads of funny, unfrog-ettable moments…
Derek Cooper was extremely entertaining as the funky, fly Frog Prince Eric. He is a great children’s performer and actor, and would be a treat to watch in larger-scale, regional productions. Danielle Robinette as Princess Pandora was the typical teenage girl, and she did a “rad” job playing up her character. Thom Sinn was a hoot as King Glum, with Elvis impersonations that were a hunka-hunka barrel of laughs! Elisa Dugan (Auntie Drizelda) was eerily evil, and played her role as a wicked witch to a tee. Sam Hayder (Cricket/Jumper/Dream Prince) is a truly talented actor with a unique knack for puppetry. He was wonderful at transitioning from character to character at a moment’s notice, and was quite enjoyable to watch. Rachel Reckling (Euripides/Snookums) is a natural for children’s theatre! Reckling brought both playfulness and lightheartedness to the stage, while Kelsey Painter did a stand-up job with making you laugh in her role as Jester.
Michael Paradiso’s (Puppet Designer) colorful and attention grabbing puppets are such a delight for young audiences. Kendra Svach Shapanus (Costume Design) were super-bad! Her 70s fashion were spot-on, adding so much “pop” to the characters and complimenting each actor nicely. Mandee Ferrier Roberts’ (Music Director) music arrangements will magically make little bodies want to boogie-on-down. It must be the “matinee fever!” Heather Mork (Scenic Design) and Ally Cribs (Props Designer) cleverly used the space to create a “land” of lily-pads (built from trampolines) and peaceful pond life, along with the collaborative efforts of Helen Garcia-Alton and Adrienne Gieszl (Lighting Design) who used various special effects and appropriate lighting schemes that helped differentiate each location (castle, pond and Drizelda’s lair) from one another.
The Frog Prince is a toad-rific play with loads of funny, unfrog-gettable moments that your little tadpoles will surely enjoy!
Run Time: 60 minutes, no intermission
The Frog Prince runs through April 18, 2015 at The Pumpkin Theatre, 2905 Walnut Avenue Owings Mills, MD 21117. For tickets click here.
