Bring on the birds! “Honk,” presented by Reisterstown Theatre Project, reimagines the Hans Christian Andersen tale of ‘The Ugly Duckling’ as a musical. The all-kids production is set in the countryside and features Ugly, a cygnet who is mistaken as an ugly duckling and is rejected by everyone except for his mother (Ida), a sly tomcat who only befriends him out of hunger, and some barnyard characters. The production not only has some great musical numbers and fun characters, it also sends a message of tolerance and acceptance.
…a wonderful musical tale for adults and kids alike with plenty of plucky humor.
It’s spring and Ida’s waiting (and waiting) for her eggs to hatch. When the strange fifth egg hatches, it reveals Ugly (Ben Tasker). Although Ida (Tori Magee) is initially shocked, her motherly instinct wins over, and she teaches Ugly how to swim. All the poultry on the farm makes fun of Ugly. Maybe that’s why Ugly leaves with Cat (Anike Sonuga), who promises to be his friend but has an ulterior motive — to make Ugly his next meal.
When Cat accidentally falls into a pot, Ugly thinks he’s playing hide and seek and gets lost. Ida is worried about her son and leaves to look for him. Meanwhile, Ugly runs into two military geese (Michael Nicols and Sophie Schmidt) who promise to find Ugly’s home but are detained by a shooting in the marsh. He also wanders into the home of a domesticated cat and chicken (Audrey Caiola and Mikayla Trainor), untangles a beautiful swan (Maddie Simmons) from some fishing line, and encounters a bullfrog (Pierce Elliott) who says he’ll be loved “warts and all.” Continuing on his journey, a blizzard hits Ugly, and his mother’s tears are the only thing that can unfreeze him. Just like ‘The Ugly Duckling,’ everything ends happily ever after; Ugly isn’t as ugly as he thought.
Tasker is a likable Ugly; you can’t help but feel bad for the poor guy when the rest of the birds taunt him incessantly. Magee has a beautiful voice and shows how tough it is to be a mother in “Hold Your Head Up High” and “Every Tear a Mother Cries.” Ida’s husband (Drake, played by Ben Gillespie) makes the situation more difficult when he gives Ida grief for looking after the ducklings and refuses to sit on the eggs; as Ida says, “maybe I’d be better off with a decoy.”
Sonuga makes a sly Cat, prowling around the stage and coming after Ugly with just the right amount of malice. She’s great in the dark humor number “Play With Your Food” in Act I (wondering if duck pancakes or duck l’orange would be best). And Elliott steals the stage with some great one-liners as Bullfrog – including having a “human in his throat,” referring to himself as a “human in a frog’s clothing,” and “donating his legs to gastronomic research.” The number is enhanced by the ‘froglets,’ who accompany Bullfrog dressed in green beanies and goggles.
The production team makes some creative costume choices; after all, it can’t be easy transforming a bunch of kids into poultry. Ugly wears a gray newsboy cap and brown and gray ‘newsie’ outfit until his transformation when his cap and outfit are white. We were all amazed that he was able to ‘transform’ right on the stage, hidden by some beautiful, sparkly snowflakes. The ducklings provide the ‘cute’ factor, dressing in a variety of yellow outfits with orange tights and yellow baseball caps. Most of the other poultry just wear country dresses but are easily identifiable as birds with their bracelets of feathers.
Set Designer Rose Mooney should be commended for her realistic-looking eggs, which the ducklings and Ugly could actually emerge from. The set also features a colorful farmland scene (providing the backdrop), a reconstructed nest, a huge plaid comfy chair (big enough for both a domesticated cat and chicken), and a wood-like barn. After Ugly and Ida swim at the duck yard, glow in the dark fish appear to be swimming on the stage.
For the adults, there’s also some humor. Ida refers to her “pre-natal hatching classes.” We know Ugly isn’t a turkey because someone says “cranberry sauce,” and he doesn’t even flinch. The Cat lets us know Ugly might “become crispy and aromatic before his time.” And Maggie Pie (Maya Lichtenberg) appears on TV after Ugly is lost as a host on “America’s Most Feathered” — with “chicks waiting for your call.”
For the kids, there’s a lesson – it’s what’s on the inside that counts. Ugly says it best when he states “Different isn’t scary. Different is no threat. Different isn’t wrong. So why is it so hard to get along?” When he gets the esteemed red bracelet from Grace (Elizabeth Volpe), he shows those ducks who’s boss (but never throws it in their bills).
“Honk” will have you rooting for the under-bird. It’s a wonderful musical tale for adults and kids alike with plenty of plucky humor. Forget the wild goose chase and just go see it.
Running Time: 2 hours and 20 minutes with a 15-minute intermission.
“Honk” runs through November 6, 2016. For more information, click here.
