The Brothers Grimm fairy tales of “The Frog Prince” and “Rapunzel” have been combined into a comical show that appeals to both children and adults.
Children’s Theatre Company presents “Rapunzel and the Frog Prince” Jan. 13 to 20 at South Suburban College’s Kindig Performing Arts Center in South Holland. The clever mash-up is by the late award-winning playwright Michele L. Vacca.
“When she wrote her scripts, she had a knack. They don’t talk down to kids. They just tell a story. There’s a bunch of silly stuff and there’s fun stuff,” said Ellie Shunko, the play’s director.
When she wrote a play in 1972 you could relate it to that day and then when you’re doing it again in 2018 you can find something to relate to that to keep it fresh without changing anything. It’s just how you interpret it.
“All of her scripts are just marvelous. They’re really well-written. They’re nice and tight. There’s not a whole lot of junk in there. You can just keep things flowing but it’s not so stodgy. You’ve got plenty of room for your own interpretation of how things should go.”
“Rapunzel and the Frog Prince” tells the tale of local witch Gruesomella Jones who conjures a spell that will make handsome Prince Beauregard fall in love with the first woman he sees, but things go awry with the witch’s plans when he first sees Prince Rapunzel.
Meanwhile, the princess’s mother, Queen Alexandra, tries to find her daughter a husband by calling in a series of candidates with each one being more peculiar than the next.
“It was just so cute and funny and weird because it’s two different fairy tales mixed up as one,” said Shunko, who is also sound designer for “Rapunzel and the Frog Prince.”
The crew includes Chicago, Crestwood, Homewood, Midlothian, Park Forest, Robbins and South Chicago Heights residents while the cast includes residents of Chicago, Homewood, Markham, South Holland and Thornton plus the Indiana towns of Highland and St. John.
The cast is a mix of community and students, said Shunko, of Lansing.
“Four out of the eight are brand-new and have never been in a children’s play before and one gal has never been in a play before. It’s just delightful. I’m really thrilled to have these new faces involved.”
Shunko, who is also manager of Kindig Performing Arts Center, founded Children’s Theatre Company more than three decades ago.
“Anybody can come to one of these plays and enjoy themselves. You don’t have to be a kid. We actually have a lot of people that come without kids. I keep things relevant to grown-ups too because they’re the ones driving the kids. You want them to enjoy themselves as well,” she said.
“With South Suburban College’s support we can keep ticket prices low. We’re very blessed. Kids can have the experience of coming to a live theater performance that they might not be able to anywhere else.
“We want to expose kids to theater because it does so many things for you aside from being a lot of fun. I can’t even express how much joy that gives me. I have kids volunteering for me now that were in that audience 20 years ago.”
Jessi Virtusio is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
‘Rapunzel and the Frog Prince’
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When: 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Jan. 13 and 20; 9:45 and 11:30 a.m. Jan. 16 to 19
Where: South Suburban College’s Kindig Performing Arts Center, 15800 State St., South Holland
Tickets: $5; group discounts available; reservations suggested for weekday shows
Information: 708-210-5741; http://www.ssc.edu (search “Rapunzel and the Frog Prince”)