The wedding of Corey and Emily was the planned celebration for this trip. Earlier this year when visiting the Minneapolis Institute of Art, I witnessed an excited group of children and adults energetically buzzing about. The Children’s Theatre Company performs in a space attached to this museum. I heard their work was terrific. They won the Regional Theater Tony Award in 2003. A visit to see an exceptionally entertaining Snow White confirmed all of the hype.
Entering a vast room, the seating arrangements clearly follow the troupe’s mission. When picking up tickets, we worried about blocking the view for a child. The box office told us the show was designed with a four year old in mind. The risers were indeed high enough and everyone seemed to have a great and full view. (If only Broadway was equally thoughtful, Linda Vista).
Mikail Kachman’s scenic design was large and menacing but also warmly inviting, like the tale. Tree roots reached up to the ceiling. The trunk stretched along the stage. Limbs and leaves were painted on the floor and were also hung high from the ceiling. The lighting (Rebecca Fuller Jensen) was atmospheric. Sunlight was peeking through the forest. One child remarked that she saw a rainbow on a tree trunk. Indeed she did. Good eye.
The story of Snow White is so well known thanks to Disney’s first full length feature cartoon in 1937. This version was much closer to the original Grimm story. The darker sections could be frightening to children such as when the evil queen’s huntsman is chasing poor Snow White through the forest. Ingeniously, Greg Banks’ adaptation and direction created a beautiful balance between faithfulness to the story while clearly delineating a world of make believe.
Joy Dolo and Dean Holt begin the performance. As Snow White, Ms. Dolo is ready to start. Mr. Holt is Four, one of the seven dwarfs. Where are the other six? Not here yet. Oh well, they begin hoping for a late arrival of the rest of the cast. That never happens. This Snow White is a two person play. Since the fourth wall is broken early, there is a lightness to the playacting. The darker elements are indeed a bit creepy but the children are trusted to absorb a fictitious tale.
Both performances are stellar. The actors switch roles as the story demands. When the dwarfs return home from the mine, Mr. Holt has to play all seven of them. I could return to see this production just to watch him turn a hat, change voices and use body language to amusing effect. That one’s Grumpy! That one’s Dopey! Dean Holt is impressively hilarious and physically astonishing with his almost cartoon-like physicality.
Joy Dolo was just as effective in her interpretations. Tie a simple skirt around her waist and she is Snow White. Put a shawl over her shoulders and she is the evil queen asking the mirror who is the fairest one of all. This is an evil queen for the ages and Ms. Dolo seemed to bare her fangs with exquisite delight. Not a shred of goodness to be found in this wicked one. Both performers are ably supported by musician Victor Zupanc and his memorable assortment of sound effects.
As I was leaving the show, I was overjoyed by the subtle messaging in Greg Banks’ production. The children could recreate this wonderful play with simple props and pieces of fabric lying around the house. The storytelling and make believe came first. That is the magic of superb theater. The tale itself, not the often overproduced spectacle which can overwhelm and bury the heart of a show.
Even more compelling, this production embraces a fairy tale world that is gender and race neutral. Snow White can be black and also play the prince. Four can not only morph into seven dwarfs but can also be Snow White when the storytelling requires. That both performers marvelously play nearly every character – and none of this is ever confusing – is something for theater lovers to get a kick out of.
Princeton University Press published a version of the first two editions of Grimm’s Original Folk and Fairy Tales in 2014. That book is still sitting in a pile at home. With all its darkness and interesting spins on life and friendship, Snow White has inspired me to finally crack open this collection of 156 stories.
This Snow White is everything theater for young people should aspire to: smart, entertaining and supremely engaging. That is how live theater will thrive into the future. The children seemed enthralled. The adults were even luckier to have tagged along. Bravo!
Snow White will be performed at Minneapolis’ Children’s Theatre Company through December 8, 2019.