If the title character of a book for
younger
readers is a girl, and the action of the story centers around that one
character with little or no interaction with boys of her own age, then
Frances Hodgson Burnett's 1902 classic "Sara Crewe"--revised as "The
Little Princess"--is a "girls" book, unlike her most famous story,
"The Secret Garden," which gives some weight to the invalid boy and his
grieving father whom the heroine "saves" from despair. Still, as a work
of melodramatic fiction, "Sara Crewe" ultimately makes the better music
drama. The revival of Susan Kosoff and Jane Staab's
version, which ran at the Wheelock Family Theatre 11 years ago, is one
of the better musicals seen here this season and a jewel in WST's 25th
Anniversary. Staab has directed the show with precision, aided by a
first-rate cast of local theatre professionals playing the grownups,
and featuring Andrea Ross, last year's Norton Best Actress, in
the title role. Ross was seen last season in "The Sound of Music" as
Liesl and as Ramona Quimby, as well as playing young Lizzie Borden in
the Stoneham Theatre production and Fredricka in Lyric's "A Little
Night Music"
The older actors include award-winner Christopher
Chew, seen as Capt. Von Trapp, as her father, Ralph. Chew is also
the co-artistic director of the new Village Theatre Project, a youth
theatre in Groton. The rigid headmistress of Sara's school and her
younger sister, the Misses Minchin, are played by Sara DeLima
and Gamalia Pharms. Both have appeared for WST and various
other local professional theatres. The solicitor's--what would a
Dickensian novel be without lawyers--are Luis Negronas Barrow
for Capt. Crewe and Robert Saoud as Carmichael for Tom
Carrisford. The latter, Ralph's longtime friend, both the cause of
Sara's misfortunes and her savior, is played by Frank Gayton.
Gayton was seen as Buddy in Overture's "Follies" opposite Leigh Barrett
and Len Cariou. Negron was last at WFT in "Ramona Quimby", and Saoud
last appearance of many here was as The Witch in "Cinderella". Making
cameo appearances are Staab as the surly Cook, and IRNE winner Cheryl
McMahon as the kindhearted baker, Mrs. Brown. Grace Napier
gets to herd the Carmichael children. And Gary Thomas Ng is
back, this time as the mysterious lascar, Ram Dass, the role Saoud
played in the original production.
The show
is nothing of course without the younger members of the cast, who keep
up with Ross , a freshman at Noble & Greenough, quite
admirably. Particularly notable is Newton North sophomore, Ariel
Harrist, as Becky the scullery maid, Sara's roomate in the attic.
She played Louisa in "Sound of Music."
The two outsiders Sara befriends at
the school are Ermengarde, the slow learner, played and sung by Sophie Rich, and sad Lottie, played by Katherine
Doherty, last year's Gretl, seen this past holiday as Susan in the
Wang's "White Christmas". All
three have effective scenes with the title character. The
leader
of the rest of the girls at Minchin's Seminary, Lavinia, is Natasha
Ashworth,.with several shows to her credit at NSMT's Youth Theatre.
The ensemble includes Samantha Goober(Jessie), Meg Igarashi(Gertrude),
Jacqueline Marie Laviolette(Beatrice), Livvy Marcus(Rosalie),
Mehr Kaur(Victoria), Christina Kashgegian(Elizabeth)
and the Carmichael children, Gillian Mariner Gordon(Janet), Emily
Eldrige-Ingram(Nora), and Christina Monnen(Donald), most
with past productions and participation in Wheelock's educational
programs. To round out the large cast, Robert G. Prescod is
Msr. Defarge the French Master, Wheelock student Erin Jenkins is
Mariette, Sara's French maid, and Milton Academy student, Samara
Oster, part of last summer's WFT story Troupers, is Anna the
beggar, who Sara feeds and the baker takes in.
WFT's music director Jonathan Goldberg
has improved the show's orchestrations and conducts a six piece
ensemble from the keyboard in the pit. He's been able let his skilled
singers make use of their ranges while making the younger ensemble
sound good as well. The three level set has two which revolve plus side
wagons, another impressive design by Janie E. Howland, whose
award-winning work can also be seen in Speakeasy's current show, "Five
by Tenn". WST's award-winning choreographer Laurel Stachowicz adds
her moves to big numbers, and ace costumer Marian Piro has once
again provided convincing period clothes for one and all. Nicole Pierce
adds nice "magical" touches to her lighting design and Andy Aldous has
the complex miking firmly in hand. The open captioning display situated
stage right only this time let's one verify just how well Kosoff has
captured Burnett's period diction in the lyrics, which sing--and are
sung--quite well in any case.
The show is old-fashioned in the best
sense,
capturing the spirit of the original and keeping it fresh by playing
the action, by making the character's real. There are no caricatures in
the show, which does not play down to its younger audience members.
Kosoff and Staab have resisted updating this moral melodrama. keeping
its message of generosity and being yourself, of the healing power of
hope and imagination foremost. It won't change the skeptical, but most
of its audience will appreciate its worth. And some of the grownups may
even reread the book.