CurtainUp
The Internet Theater Magazine of Reviews, Features,
Annotated Listings
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CurtainUp The Internet Theater Magazine of Reviews, Features,
Annotated Listings |
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A CurtainUp Review
Rose and the
Rime
In fairness, this is not intended to be a sequel or a redo, and the origins of the fable 2006 Rose and the Rime, several years before Disney released Frozen and buried the kiddie lexicon under a blanket of all things Elsa, Anna, Olaf and "Let it go." Of course as Hans Christian Andersen demonstrated more than a century and a half ago in The Snow Queen, there's something heart-warming-) about a snow witch and Rose and the Rime has such a witch and quite a bit more. The West Coast premiere by the Sacred Fools Theater contains no shortage of wonderment. In reuniting key members of his technical team from the Fool's 2012 Hollywood Fringe production of Hamlet Max, director Jacob Sidney gives this unusual fable the visual pizzazz that it deserves. Given the play's dark sensibility and rather quizzical logic (even for a fairy tale), any production of Rose and Rime can probably use all the atmospheric bells and whistles it can muster. Our setting is a small burg called Radio Falls, Michigan, where the townspeople use walkie-talkies to stay in constant communication and are always looking out for each other and particularly for Rose (played by Amy Rapp), a favorite daughter who was also the last town inhabitant to be born in summer. Alas, there has been no summer in Radio Falls since the Rime Witch placed a curse on the town when Rose was still a baby. One night, Rose, who has been raised by her uncle Roger (Andy Hirsch) following her parents' deaths, asks for a few more details surrounding the oft-told story of her birth, and learns that a magical coin might undo the curse. Off she goes in search of the Rime Witch to bring back the coin and, hopefully, the heat. Rose's quest is plenty perilous. Sje braves the elements, a pack of menacing tree wolves, an ice cave, and ultimately the witch herself (Desiree Mee Jung). She succeeds, but when you bring warmth to a community that has functioned around chill, naturally you make trade-offs. Parkas are left behind in favor of bikinis and hot dogs replace hot chocolate. Rose pairs up with Jimmy (Brian Brennan), a cute visitor from another town, and she ends up getting everything she wants, and maybe a couple of things she doesn't. As written by Sacred Fools company members Nathan Allen, Chris Matthews and Jake Minton, Rose and the Rime taps into some clever fairy tale conventions without pandering in the slightest to a younger audience. The play has some moral ambiguity, and, in this tale, when people make the wrong choices, events can cycle back and recur although it's not particularly clear here what those bad choices were. If you don't think too hard about the play's logic, you'll find Sidney's rendering to be an unabashed delight. A trio of video screens created by Hillary Bauman allow for some splendid wintry effects. Linda Muggeridge and Mandi Moss have outfitted the company in a fanciful assortment of costumes (the winter to summer change is a kick). Lighting designer Andrew Schmedake and sound and video designer Corwin Evans help complete the picture while the giant mottled gray rabbit fashioned by Miles Taber is a floppy, long eared scene poacher. Rapp ably leads the 12-person company. This one won't necessarily warm the cockles of your heart, but for visual splendor in a small space, Rose and the Rime is certainly a winter winner. |
Search CurtainUp in the box below PRODUCTION NOTES Rose and the Rime Written by Nathan Allen, Chris Matthews and Jake Minton Directed by Jacob Sidney Cast: Brian Brennan, Corinne Chooey, Sean Faye, Andy Hirsch, Desiree Mee Jung, Aaron Mendelson, Mandi Moss, Amy Rapp, Allison Reeves and Bart Tangredi Production and Scenic Design/Projection Illustration/Scenic Paint: Hillary Bauman Costume Design: Linda Muggeridge and Mandi Moss Lighting Design: Andrew Schmedake Sound and Video Design: Corwin Evans Props Design: Joyce Hutter Fight Choreographer: Andrew Joseph Perez Puppet Designer: Miles Taber Motion Graphics Designer: Chris Hutchings Production Stage Manager: Katherine Hoevers Musical Director: Crystal Keith Dance Choreographer: Sierra Taylor Plays through February 25, 2017 at the Sacred Fools Mainstage Theater, 1076 Lillian Way, Hollywood (310) 281-8337, www.sacredfools.org Running time: One hour and fifteen minutes with no intermission Reviewed by Evan Henerson REVIEW FEEDBACK Highlight one of the responses below and click "copy" or"CTRL+C"
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