Daniel Myers and Ali Viterbi star as the Baker and his wife. Ali Viterbi has a great genuineness about her as the wife with a seemingly innate sense for the safety of her little baby, as seen in the many subtle movements she makes as dangers surround them. She also shines in a Moment with a charmingly insincere prince (Michael Dashefsky, who playfully touches Ali’s nose as he calls her a “peasant”). Daniel Myers is your consummate nice guy with a good understated sense of humor, and his solo No More as his world collapses around him is truly heartfelt. Daniel and Ali work together well as a couple, including a cute and playful It Takes Two duet.

The nice couple are plagued by an evil neighbor, the vain and brutally pragmatic witch next door who has cursed the Baker’s household and won’t remove that curse until she is given a cow as white as milk, a cape as red as blood, a slipper as pure as gold, and hair as yellow as corn. Adriana Yedidsion is the cackling, cooing, and several-other-little-noises-making Witch. During the first act a large mask kind of muffles her voice, but in the second act we really get to enjoy her vocals and use of facial expressions. She brings one of this production’s best scenes to a close, which is beautifully staged by Director Joey Landwehr. As four of the villagers argue about who to blame for all the destruction, the Witch embarrasses and shames them with her ominous Last Midnight.

Erica Malachowski gives an excellent performance as Cinderella with both serious moments and a few humorous ditzy “blonde” moments, not to mention some beautiful singing. Jonathan Edzant makes for a good daydreaming, head-in-the-clouds Jack whose best friend is Milky White (given life by Ben Sutton and his puppet). Rebecca Myers is a Little Red Ridinghood with a big temper and a big knife she’s not afraid to use. Trevor Bowles is a hit as the hungry wolf even after his microphone fell off (then chases off after the three little pigs).

Elsewhere there are several good performances, some of which include Joshua White as a snob of a steward, Maddie Houts as a feisty grandma to Little Red, Robbie Friedman as a charismatic Mysterious Man, and Naomi McPherson as a crazed Rapunzel who makes some of the same noises that her adoptive mom (the Witch) makes – the woman who drove her crazy. But there’s a little hope for a happily ever after for crazy Rapunzel when mom loses her magical powers. The Witch tries to no avail to strike a spell on her disobedient Rapunzel and her prince (Sam Jacobs), making the pair cringe a couple times in anticipation of pains that never manifest. “You good?” Rapunzel asks. “I’m good,” her prince replies. “You good?” Rapunzel looks at herself one more time. “Yup.” And the two walk happily away from a furious Witch who isn’t happy with the happily ever after ending of Act One.

Performed December 4 - 14, 2008

Rob Hopper
National Youth Theatre

~ Cast ~