Children's Theatre of Elgin to present 'Rapunzel The Musical'
The timeless Grimm story of Rapunzel gets a fresh look in this world premiere production of "Rapunzel The Musical" written by Children's Theatre of Elgin alum Allison Cherry, and brought to The Hemmens stage by 120 area youths.
Performances are at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday, April 6-8, at 45 Symphony Way, Elgin. Tickets are $12; $10 for students and seniors, and available at CTEelgin.com or by calling (847) 214-7550.
With an ensemble cast featuring Lilly Marie Smith as Rapunzel, Zach Lichner as Felix, Reagan Sanchez as Mother, and Shaelyn Donohue as Mags, "Rapunzel the Musical" is a heartwarming tale full of recognizable songs and familiar characters, with a few hair-raising twists sure to entertain audience members of all ages.
"There's really something here for the whole family," said CTE President Catie Early. "Younger kids will love seeing characters they've read about come to life and their parents will appreciate the wholesome message of the show. There are also quite a few puns that kids might miss, but the adults will catch like characters named 'Sir Cumference' and 'Sir Acha!'"
By writing an original version of the "Rapunzel" tale, Children's Theatre of Elgin is able to create new characters and make changes that best fit the cast.
According to Cherry, the show's director and scriptwriter, "As always, when we put these shows together we do try to create as many parts as possible so more kids can be involved with the experience of having a part on stage. It's just so nice to have the freedom to be able to adapt the script to exactly who tries out."
Cherry said she is very proud of the group, which has worked hard throughout the whole production.
"This group just truly amazes me with the quality they come out with," she said. "The kids take it seriously because they know the final quality depends on how hard they work.
Children's Theatre of Elgin was founded in 1988 by brothers Peter and David Akemann to offer performance opportunities to local children ages 7 to 15 years.
In 1993, Fox Valley Theatre Company (FVTC) was formed as a more advanced company for young people ages 15-20 years.
More than 9,000 cast members have been on stage before nearly 400,000 people in 120 productions since opening night of "Snow White" in the basement of The Hemmens Cultural Center.
Children's Theatre of Elgin has presented numerous original musicals as well as area premieres of Broadway shows. The goal is to give all young people who want to participate the opportunity to learn and grow, so cast sizes have ranged from about 40 to 140. Financial assistance helps cover the required fees so that needy children are able to participate. Outreach performances and workshops round out the organization's local offerings.
The theater troupe's achievements include tours to as far away as Hawaii, becoming recipient of the Illinois Community Education Association and Elgin Image awards, being named one of "150 Things that Make Elgin Great," and listed among favorite destinations in Kids Love Illinois by George and Michele Zavatsky. In 2014, CTE completed an anti-bullying film for use by local elementary and middle schools.
In recent years, many first-generation CTE actors have returned to the organization to give back something of their cherished childhood experiences, with two board members, three artistic directors, and many mentoring artists joining in, including "Rapunzel The Musical" choreographer Kevin Kline.
"It's been an amazing experience being able to teach these kids things I've learned in my experience through CTE," said Kline. "Creating dances to familiar songs has been a fun challenge because of the different variety of songs. This show consists of all types of styles of dance from lyrical to hip-hop and it's such a fun show for the whole family."
If you go
What: Children's Theatre of Elgin's production of "Rapunzel the Musical"
When: 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 2 p.m. Sunday, April 6-8
Where: The Hemmens, 45 Symphony Way, Elgin
Tickets: $12 adults, $10 students and seniors
Details: <a href="https://cteelgin.com/">CTEelgin.com</a> or (847) 214-7550