'Sleeping Beauty' gets colorful adaptation at Marriott

“Sleeping Beauty” gets a rather colorful modern-day remake in a new children's production opening Saturday, July 14, at Lincolnshire's Marriott Theatre.

Changes include everything from the classic tale's themes to the names of the characters, said director/choreographer Matt Raftery.

“The play is contemporized for this day and age, a few updates given in the script to turn it into a sweet funny story,” Raftery explains. “Every character's name is a color, and the theme is about tolerating people of all the colors of the rainbow versus skin color.”

Naperville native Catherine Lord plays Magenta, a wicked witch scheming against Amber. Magenta gives Amber the gift of curiosity. When Amber pricks her finger on a spindle, she falls into a deep sleep.

Playing an evil witch has its perks for Lord, who describes her character as a recurring baddie.

“It's fun playing an evil role; you get to scare the kids and make them feel like they're part of the action where they could literally reach out and touch us,” Lord says.

After the play, the performers come back onstage in character and answer questions from the children in the audience, which is another plus.

Lord has been working with Marriott for about 25 years and has grown to enjoy working in children's plays.

“The shows are short and a lot of fun — I get to go out there and be silly and kids are really receptive of the performances,” she says. “It's a great experience for everyone.”