Calgary Musicals

Preview: Storybook Snags The Canadian Premiere of Rapunzel! Rapunzel!

Storybook Theatre’s first 2013 show in its Cabaret series for 3-6 year olds is the Canadian premiere of Rapunzel! Rapunzel! A Very Hairy Fairy Tale, with Music & Lyrics by Janet Yates & Mark Friedman. It premiered last spring at the Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati and it’s scheduled to play in theatres across the U.S. in 2013. It’s a twist on the traditional German fable from the  Brothers Grimm (which was adapted from a 1608 French fable by Charlotte-Rose de Caumont de La Force called Persinette). The original fairy tale was also the inspiration for the 2010 Disney Movie, Tangled, which many Calgary youngsters will have seen.

In the Yates/Friedman version, the heroine, the very long-haired Rapunzel is trapped in the tower by the evil Lady Za Za. According to the Storybook and Yates/Friedman websites: “It’ll be up to Sir Roderick – who is without a worthy quest – and his hairdresser friend Edgar – who is on a quest to find the perfect head of hair – to rescue Rapunzel and restore the kingdom – with the help of a slightly neurotic Gypsy Woman and a tired, yet witty, old dragon named Socrates”.

This will be the first Storybook production with J.P. Thibodeau at the helm as executive and artistic director, since George Smith moved on at the end of 2012. His first month in the job was too hairy (pun intended) for an interview, but I’ll catch him before one of their spring shows. The show is directed by Matt Dewald, with musical direction by Wilma Rothbauer and choreography by Lianne Smith. The cast includes Sydney Monteith as Rapunzel, Aya Staley as Lady Za Za, Allie Higgins as Socrates, Victor Piotto as Rodrick, Al Bergen as Edgar and Teegan Rain Gallinger as the Gypsy.

Rapunzel! Rapunzel! A Very Hairy Fairy Tale opened on January 18 and runs until February 3 at Storybook Theatre’s new theatre in Beddington. The show is only one hour long, with no intermission. Tickets are $14-$16. The Calgary Musicals+ Meetup Group is going on Wednesday January 23, if you’d like to join us.

 For more information and tickets go to Storybook Theatre