An article in the Feb. 24 edition about a production of "Princess and the Pea" mentioned the wrong company. Children's Theatre of Annapolis is not associated with the production.
The Sun regrets the error.
I grew quite fond of the "fractured fairy tale" approach favored by the "Under the Hood Productions" gang when it was the children's theater troupe in residence at the old Annapolis Dinner Theatre.
So I couldn't help wondering how much I'd miss the hilarity when I saw Children's Theatre of Annapolis' "Princess and the Pea" at the recently renamed Chesapeake Music Hall.
Well, the humor was less racy without Duncan Hood's crazy double-entendres flying around, but the CTA youngsters have done a very fine job under Bob Rude's direction.
The result is a colorful, funny, well-acted "Princess and the Pea" that had 125 children and parents (the largest Saturday morning crowd I've ever seen in that theater) very happy and involved.
"The Princess and the Pea," you'll recall, is a satirical fairy tale about a young prince who must marry or turn into a frog and his prospective princess, who must feel a pea under umpteen layers of mattresses before she is allowed to bag her monarch.
The adult musical version, "Once Upon a Mattress," was once a hit on Broadway, but for this production the music was composed by Peter Runke. What a snappy, tuneful set of ditties he has provided. The score is definitely a highlight of the show.
And there are some talented youngsters on stage doing justice both to song and story.
The real find here is Mary Alex, a Severna Park High School senior who performs like a champ as Queen Pamela, the picky mother of the soon-to-be-married-over-her-dead-body prince. Mark Baldwin is also quite good as her consort.
Kudos also go to Jill Koethcke, Casey Hobart, Isabel Clark and the adorable Katy Smith as the quartet of goofy witches out to prevent the impending nuptials. Ms. Koethcke does a fine job with the soulful "I've Got It," though the harmonizing trio could use additional time on the correct pitches.
Also fun to watch are Erin Rosacker as the hypersensitive princess with a propensity for falling into moats and adult Kevin Wheatley playing a lisping, low-life, hillbilly dragon.
I missed the gifted Justin Brill, who usually plays Timothy, the prince who must marry or spend eternity croaking on a lily pad. His understudy, Marty Dundics, had his moments but couldn't ** quite sustain the role. But this is a very talented young man, and he should keep the energy and concentration up every second he's performing. When he clued into what was happening, he cut a nice figure on stage.
Let me also commend the fine-sounding chorus trained by music director Mary Ellen Cohn. Peter Runke must have been very pleased to hear his songs realized so nicely the first time out.
"The Princess and the Pea" will be presented Saturday mornings at the Chesapeake Music Hall through March. For ticket information, call 626-7515.