Kidz Kabaret to stage fairy tale with a twist
In "It's a Fairy Tale Life - Reality Stinks!," Captain Hook, Sleeping Beauty, the Big Bad Wolf, Humpty Dumpty and the Muffin Man find themselves together, in the same room.
What emerges from this surreal meeting, said playwright Kandiss Hernandez, is a blurring of reality and a lesson in authenticity and self-actualization.
"All these fairy tale characters have come together to audition for a play. Captain Hook is the director. They really are fairy tale characters, that's who they are," said Hernandez, artistic director of the Naperville children's theater troupe Kidz Kabaret.
The theater company's production of the show opens Saturday and runs through Tuesday at the Comedy Shrine in downtown Naperville.
Hook encourages the fairy tale stars to abandon their true natures for identities acceptable in the "real world."
The ensuing conflicts take a comedic turn in the lively musical.
The message, said Hernandez, is that all of us are unique individuals with unique life paths.
"Be true to yourself - you can't change yourself for anybody, even for a chance at something for a monetary value," Hernandez said. "It's following your heart, that's where the true success is."
The show features three casts of children in fourth through sixth grades. Several cast members play more than one role.
"You have to be pretty proficient at acting to make these characters believable," Hernandez said. "Most of my actors were looking for more of a challenge."
Megan Hill, Hernandez' daughter and a Kidz Kabaret veteran, played Captain Hook in the group's 2005 production of the show.
This time, the 16-year-old Oswego High School junior is making her directorial debut.
Hill said her crop of actors have found new ways of interpreting their characters, different from the way the characters were presented three years ago.
"It's cool to see them open up," she said.
The entire show takes place in an audition room. Hill said many members of the cast enter at the beginning of the show and remain on stage throughout the hourlong performance.
"The most (challenging) struggle with kids is staying in character," she said. "A lot of them never leave the stage."
Cast members do choreographed dance routines, use foreign accents and get a chance to practice comedic timing.
"It makes the kids laugh. They truly enjoy it," Hernandez said. "It's really something that allows them to work on many different levels."
If you go
What: "It's a Fairy Tale Life - Reality Stinks!" staged by Kidz Kabaret
When: 2 and 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, 3 p.m. Monday and Tuesday
Where: The Comedy Shrine, 22 E. Chicago Ave., Naperville
Tickets: $8 for adults, $7 for students and seniors, $6 for ages 10 and younger
Info: (630) 355-9212 or kidzkabaret.com