Thursday, March 13, 1997
THEATER:
Fun musical carries message of pride to disadvantaged youthBy
Cheryl Klein
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
Think of playwright Dorothy Nichols as everyone’s favorite
kindergarten teacher: bright-eyed and perky, always with something
positive to say.
Now get the same cast who gyrated to ’70s pop rock in last
quarter’s "Godspell" to perform the world premiere of her
children’s musical. Laughter and larger-than-life theatrical
numbers are bound to ensue.
At least this was the case March 7, when roughly 1,000 grade
school children from inner cities filled Schoenberg Auditorium to
see "Penelope Saves the Nutcracker." The production, the latest
from UCLA’s Musical Theater Workshop, was part of Design for
Sharing, an organization dedicated to bringing cultural events to
disadvantaged youth.
Based on the true story of a horse who pulled a sleigh for the
Los Angeles Classical Ballet’s "Nutcracker Suite," the plot is a
simple twist on the familiar ballet. Everyone loves Penelope, an
angelic and wise mare, with an endearing Irish accent.
Everyone, that is, except Mr. Bottom, the conniving new director
who decides to replace the snow- white pony with a mechanical
horse. It’s up to Penelope’s friends  the Sugar Plum Fairy,
the Mouse King and a faithful terrier named Samuel  to save
Penelope’s job and stop Mr. Bottom from spoiling the show.
Filling roles from a dancing cake to a giant teddy bear, the
cast realized early on how much energy it took performing for
kids.
"Doing children’s theater is very broad. It’s big," said Nichols
at last Thursday’s tech rehearsal. "So it’s good for them to
stretch themselves in that direction."
"The whole show is kind of pumped up energy that’s meant to keep
small 5-year-olds entertained. So you have to completely focus and
give 100 percent every time or they’re going to fade out," Susannah
Hall, who played the Sugar Plum Fairy, added.
For Hall, whose parents direct children’s theater, this was a
nostalgic experience. For Jill Simonian and Melissa Lyons, who
sings and dances the entire musical inside a cumbersome horse
costume, it is often exhausting. The same is true for Juan Garcia,
who dons boots with 5-inch heels and a bulky yellow muscle suit as
part of his character Mr. Bottom’s attempt to make himself look
bigger.
But, the outrageous costumes help explain the message behind the
musical, Nichols explained.
"I’m hoping that they will see that some of these characters
have put on ridiculous images. You know, like Mr. Bottom has put on
this silly ‘Mr. Big Man’ costume," Nichols said. "But underneath,
people are really better when they’re just themselves."
In other words, "You can be a star just the way you are," as one
song proclaims. Gee-whiz tone and pun-filled lyrics aside,
"Penelope Saves the Nutcracker" attempts to fill kids with pride in
themselves.
"There are some people that have an ethnic background in the
cast and [the children] will look at them and say, ‘Oh wow’ and
maybe they’ll identify with them," Nichols said.
Nichols, a 1992 alumna in the World Arts and Cultures
department, created the musical version of "Penelope" as part of a
UCLA playwriting course taught by Gary Gardner.
"I wrote an adult short story about it, but it had such a
child-oriented tone," Nichols explained. "When I was doing Gary’s
class and we were supposed to write a musical, I thought, ‘Ooh,
I’ve always really loved that story. I bet I could do some fun
things with that.’"
Cast and crew alike did some fun things with "Penelope," as they
good-naturedly spoofed traditional "Nutcracker" characters. Three
women with huge felt petals framing their faces sing a swinging
’50s number instead of the traditional "Waltz of the Flowers" and
Louie the Coachman (Brian Bennitt) dances around the stage in
polka-dotted boxer shorts.
Paul Green, who plays the Nutcracker himself, said of his
character, "Dorothy has mentioned on more than one occasion that he
is kind of the ditz of the show. He’s not the brightest star in the
sky. He’s mostly just a pretty boy."
The young audience’s lack of familiarity with the original story
was not an obstacle, Green added.
"It’s gonna appeal to that age group because you have
over-the-top characters. You have a Sugar Plum Fairy with an
amazingly strong French accent who does ballet on her toes for 45
counts," Green said.
In spite of the outlet for goofiness the show provided, the cast
takes their roles seriously in order to get the most out of their
three week rehearsal schedule.
"I think we’re a little nervous, but we’ve done it before," Hall
said. "We did ‘Godspell’ in an incredibly short amount of time. And
I think that everyone’s experienced enough where if you believe in
the strength of your role, people will be able to keep their
cool."
Last minute changes abounded, with a re-choreographed curtain
call on Thursday and an entire song being cut as recently as
Wednesday.
"In the real world, when you originate a role, because things
are rough, things change. Things get cut and that’s hard," Nichols
said. But, she added, "They can put on their resumes that they
originated the role. And they’ve gotten a chance to see how that
feels."
Their prevailing confidence stems from a genuine desire to
please. The cast seems hungry for feedback about the play, hoping
their audience would delight in the same playfulness they enjoyed
when putting "Penelope" together. At multiple points in the
musical, the characters encouraged the children in the audience to
stand up and sing, "It’s a horse, it’s a horse, it’s a wonderful
horse!"
"It’s all for the kids," declared Adam Harrington, who plays the
Troop Leader.
Nichols couldn’t agree more. She originally entered college to
become an elementary school teacher, but decided to pursue her love
of theater instead. "Penelope," however, proves she didn’t
sacrifice one dream for another.
After all, she said, "You can teach a lot through theater."
CHARLES KUO/Daily Bruin
(l-r) Paul Green, Teresa Sanchez and Brian Bennitt are led by
Penelope.