The Frog Prince! A Splashy New Musical leaps through eighteen songs and fourteen scenes in fifty minutes. The songs are catchy, the young performers are exuberant, and the costumes are exceptional. Young children will enjoy the eight pretty princesses and the silly dancing frogs. Older children will enjoy seeing their peers having a good time. The original score skillfully tells the story through many different styles of music-a little jazz, a little pop, and some old-fashioned Broadway showtunes. But there are so many characters that the show becomes unnecessarily labyrinthine. The Frog Prince is a ninety minute musical crammed into fifty minutes. Still, the music and the performances make this musical a top choice for the family Fringe.
After a stop at the Equal Exchange Booth where we split a silky giant dark chocolate bar (for only $3-those babies are $5.50 at Lunds) we went to see The Harty Boys in the Case of the Limping Platypus. No question, this is my favorite show so far (I have seen 15.) The parody is written and directed by Levi Weinhagen and Joshua English Scrimshaw, who also play the title characters. The crackerjack script is faithful to the spirit of the Hardy boys books. There is a real mystery to be solved. But familiarity with the books is not necessary to enjoy the show.
The action is set throughout Minneapolis. These gentlemen could write for CSI: Minneapolis-the Sitcom! They also poke fun at the subtle misogyny of the books. Sulia Altenberg ( the same actress that so convincingly played the bullied tween camper in Mutant Squad!) and Leslie Ball bring on the "girl power" as the boys' chum Becca and their mother, forensic criminologist Dr. Lana Harty.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment