This past weekend, the RMHS Drama Club presented a play based on the Grimm Brother’s tale, “The Twelve Dancing Princesses.” It’s been a long time since the club put on a play involving princesses, princes, castles, and magical capes, but I’m glad they decided to go back to such tales.
The play opens with Michael, played by Owen Lannon, declaring his love to princess Sarah, played by Phoebe Singer. A mysterious old woman, played by Samantha Beaulieu, appears and informs Michael of the King’s request: if a prince can solve the mystery of how each morning there are twelve shoes by the door which appear worn out from dancing in three days. Then, said prince will be able to take one of his daughter’s hands in marriage. However, if they are unable to complete the task, they will be decapitated. Before setting off to the castle, the woman gives Michael a magical cloak which will allow him to be invisible. Michael arrives at the castle and is not taken as a prince because of his peasant-like clothes, so he instead becomes a gardener. From here, he begins to solve the mystery, but things become complicated when Sarah must chose between her love for Michael and her bond to her sisters. Simple, short, and sweet “Twelve Dancing Princesses” was enjoyable for all ages and thus continues the success of the Drama Club’s productions so far this year.
Owen Lannon’s performance as Michael was one of the many highlights of the show, along with Phoebe Singer’s role as Princess Sarah; not only can Phoebe sing as a grandmother, but she can also be a young princess. Olivia Lattanzi’s portrayal of Princess Ashley, the oldest of the twelve sisters was my favorite; Lattanzi captured Ashley’s harsh yet protective ways perfectly. Towards the end of the play, Princess Chelsea, played by Emma Mosqueda, gave a speech to Sarah informing her of Ashley’s plan to poison Michael so that he will forever stay in the castle that they escape to each night. This speech, although a warning, was delivered well and made evident the overall theme of the play: the difference between one’s love towards a spouse and one’s love towards family. I also enjoyed when the magical castle was first revealed and the princesses walked with their princes through the aisles onto the stage. Although each prince had no lines, their silent body language, intentional or not, captivated the audience. The dancing that ensued after, choreographed by Amanda Amerault, furthered the spell-binding scene.
The scenery, music, and costumes enhanced the magical quality of the play as well. My favorite dress was worn by Princess Ashley. Along with all of the prince's costumes, I also enjoyed the magical cape that was green with scattered leaves attached the bottom. It took me a while, but by the end of the play I realized that the old woman kept reappearing throughout the scenes wearing the cape. The simple scenery maintained the focus on the actors and provided just enough context. The twinkling lights that came down during the scenes at the magical castle was also a nice touch. The only part of the scenery that was not as successful was the hanging “trees” in the background. Made from patches of various green fabrics, these makeshift trees appeared more like rags. But, the music played during the fall of the magical castle although eerie, as if it had come from last year’s production of “A Night with Edgar Allen Poe”, was the perfect choice.
Overall the great acting, costume selection, and scenery rendered “The Twelve Dancing Princesses” a fantastic production by the RMHS Drama Club. Although it does not match their fairytale production of Beauty and the Beast all those years ago (yes I know it was over ten years ago, but it will always be my favorite production), the play was very enjoyable: the show was under two hours (always a delight), and brought me back to feeling like a child, intrigued by fairytales and magic, with not a worry in the world.