Woman's Club offers new take on 'Sleeping Beauty'
With a special contemporary twist on an old favorite, the Aurora Junior Woman's Club is wide-awake and working hard on their 51st annual theater production. This year's choice is a fun, fresh version of the old fairy tale "Sleeping Beauty."
"We try not to use only songs from the show," said Ann Marie Decker, who plays Maleficent. "The fairies are singing (the Beyoncé song) 'All the Single Ladies' and I get to sing 'So What' (by Pink). We throw in popular music and we try to appease the whole crowd that we have."
The club members work hard to put on the play, but for many, it's one of the best experiences the club offers.
"My favorite activity is definitely the play," said Madelyn Weed, a play chairwoman and member of the cast. "It's fun and it's an opportunity for us to be creative and do something with different elements. And we get to give back to our favorite charity, Aurora Children's Dental Services, so it kind of encompasses everything."
The Aurora Junior Woman's Club is working closely this year with Aurora Children's Dental Services, which provides free dental care to children who may not otherwise be able to afford the care they need. Proceeds from the play will go to fund the charity and cover the costs of dental visits and screenings for children.
"It's kind of like, 'what do we see as the need in our community, and how do we help?'" said Decker. "It's the fact that we're all there working toward raising money for good causes."
The play is a classic favorite among children, popularized by its release as a Disney film in 1959. It tells the story of Princess Aurora, who was cursed by a bitter witch named Maleficent when she was a baby. The curse says that when she turns 16, she will touch the tip of a spindle and die. However, one of the fairies who serves as a guardian is able to soften the curse so that the princess will simply fall asleep when she touches the needle, and she will sleep until she is awoken by true love's kiss.
To keep her out of harm's way, the fairies take Aurora to live with them in the woods until her 16th birthday. One day while she is wandering the forest, Aurora meets a handsome prince and they fall in love. However, the princess is already betrothed and is taken back to the castle to her parents to ensure that she will leave the prince alone and focus on her prior commitment. But when Aurora is lured by Maleficent to a tower where she touches a spindle and falls asleep, her true love must step in quickly to save his princess.
For cast member Stephanie Leo, who plays Princess Aurora, putting on the child-friendly fairy tale for the audience and seeing their response is one of the highlights of the show.
"It's more fun than a regular play because you know it's all geared toward kids," said Leo. "(It's fun to) hear a kid laugh and hear the reactions from the kids."
Cast and crew members of the show have put plenty of effort into the play, and they only have a limited amount of time to prepare onstage. The group practices once a week at McCleery School in Aurora, but they don't get to practice on the West Aurora High School auditorium stage until one day before the show opens.
But even though the show comes with challenges, the club members enthusiastically meet them, and ultimately exceed expectations.
"All this hard work is going back for a good cause," said Leo. "It's a great group of ladies who are really dedicated and put on the best show possible. The kids are having fun with it and at the same time it's going back to the community to those kids."
If you goWhat: Aurora Junior Woman's Club's production of "Sleeping Beauty" When: 7 p.m. Friday, March 19; 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Saturday, March 20Where: West Aurora High School auditorium, 1201 W. New York St., AuroraTickets: $5Call: (630) 897-5880 or (630) 400-7993Cast for 'Sleeping Beauty'Aurora: Julie Albright, Laurie Davis, Pat Dawson, Donna Goodlet, Mattie Greenacre, Janet Joy, Cindy Laurent, Stephanie Leo, Veronica Martinez-Nelson, Juli Pealstrom, Sue Rahn, Dee Rodriquez, Lisa Roscoe, Vanessa Tolliver, Gina Torbett, Madelyn Weed and Mary WeisBatavia: Diane WildyBig Rock: JoAnn KlineMontgomery: Michelle Abadie, Sandy Murphy and Sara SnyderNorth Aurora: Ann Marie Decker, Cherie Esposito and Carol FickOswego: Emily Dabney, Kathy Dabney, Holley Harris, Darcy Tellone and Amy WeilandRochelle: Cindy HarrisSugar Grove: Jill Fisher and Amy NitscheFalse8001200Cast members, in front, from left, Lisa Roscoe of Aurora and Cindy Harris of Rochelle; in back, from left, Amy Nitsche of Sugar Grove and Donna Goodlet of Aurora; finish dancing the waltz in preparation for Princess Aurora's homecoming.Courtesy of Aurora Junior Woman's ClubFalse