Barnstable Family Theater: Lost Treasure of Blackbeard
The Barnstable Family Theater presents two great shows this summer at the air-conditioned Knight Hall at Barnstable High School.
July 7, 8, 11-15, 18-22
The Trial of Rumplestiltskin
August 2-5, 8-12, 16-19
The Lost Treasure of Blackbeard
Showtime for all shows is 7:00pm. All seats are $10.
For reservations call: (508) 771-6246.
$10
www.bhsdc.org/
744 West Main Street, Hyannis, MA
mapPhone: (508) 771-6246
Verdict On Fairy-tale Trial Go See ItBy DIANA KENNEY
CONTRIBUTING WRITER - Cape Cod Times
HYANNIS - “The Trial of Rumplestiltskin' is right on the money - the King‘s money, that is.
This entertaining, original show by Barnstable Summer Family Theater is a slapstick retelling of a mishmash of fairy tales.
The two leads - Rumplestiltskin and his lawyer, Dewey (of Dewey, Cheatham and Howe) are Abbott and Costello throwbacks. They even banter in a “Who‘s on First' exchange - to the delighted guffaws of an audience young enough to have never heard it before.
Rumplestiltskin (Harry O‘Toole) - the short, rotund one in the bowler hat who is forever bashing into walls and falling on his bottom - got the vote of the kids around me, who found him hilarious. For the under-10 crowd, repetition is the soul of wit.
His tall, skinny sidekick (David Harris) is the straight man and narrator. He‘s more like a grown-up.
That‘s the fun of the show: It offers comedy bits that are as old as the hills, but to a new audience. My 8-year-old companion, for instance, left the show cheerfully repeating a little rhyme he‘d just picked up for the first time that ended with “stick a needle in your eye.'
The crazy plot manages to involve just about every fairy-tale character out there - from Little Bo-Peep to the Big Bad Wolf - who all take sides for or against Rumplestiltskin as he is tried in court for stealing the King‘s gold and other charges. You see, the Miller‘s Daughter (triple cast: Kelley Mosher/Jess Emmerson/Cait Gardipe) is imprisoned in a tower by the King and ordered to spin straw into gold. Rumplestiltskin comes to her rescue and is arrested as a trespasser as well as a tax cheat and environmental polluter and - oh, never mind.
The scene in the tower is among the best, with the King‘s hapless executioner, Bob the Headsman (Tyler Kasheta), doing his best to terrorize the Miller‘s Daughter. He elicits several horror-movie screams from her and other girls throughout the show, but mostly he is a bumbler. The appearance by little Hansel (Sean Smith) and Gretel (Colleen Smith) is funny, too.
The boss of all this tomfoolery is the King himself (Riley King), who speaks like the sides of his mouth don‘t move and has a wonderful air of upright British nonsensicality.
Some of the best cameos are in the second act, as fairy-tale characters take the witness stand at Rumplestiltskin‘s trial. Goldilocks (Rachael Miller/Lorissa Slagle/Devon Gruenstern) is a dizzy blonde and mall rat who rattles off a tour-de-force of inane chatter. Red Riding Hood (Shannon Pacella/Emily Kanzer/Amie McFarland) shows impressive range as she acts out for the jury the horrible story of Grandma and the wolf. Writer/director John Sullivan keeps the pace moving quickly and ends the show with a bang - a rowdy chase scene that involves the whole huge cast.
As usual with Barnstable Summer Family Theater, the production values are high. The light and sound systems are used effectively; the painted sets are clever and change frequently during the show; and the costumes are fun. Especially interesting is the costume of the Miller‘s wife, Phyllis Diller Miller (Amanda Kathrine Hinsman/Molly Handel/Amanda Diehl): a burlap dress with feather boas, a blond fright wig and a long cigarette holder.
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