Encore Stage & Studio kicks off 2012 with two, two, two shows rolled into a single production. And while each half has both ups and downs, the end result is generally pleasing for the target audience of youngsters, and for their parents.
“Darius the Dragon” is partnered with “Rap-Punzel” in the showcase, which runs about 90 minutes split by an intermission. It is being performed at the Rosslyn Spectrum Theatre while Thomas Jefferson Community Center remains off-limits due to earthquake damage.
“Darius” is an homage to environmental activism, the type of show that would have been at home in the early 1970s (when your ol’ theater reviewer was the target age for such productions). A 1,300-year-old, blueish dragon – who happens to be a little out of practice with the whole fire-breathing theatrics but has become enamored of Frosted Flakes – is jostled out of his underground cave by construction work going on in the city above.
Darius apparently hasn’t been above ground in a couple of centuries, so the landscape has changed a bit. Cars, tall buildings, smog . . . it’s all enough to flummox a dragon.
Then Darius runs into some helpful kids, who themselves are facing some problems. Their favorite verdant gathering place is being turned into a parking lot (cue Joni Mitchell in 3, 2, 1 ...), and the kids have been unsuccessful in convincing “the establishment” to let them keep the basketball court and other amenities of their neighborhood park.
Pretty soon, the dragon and the kids are a potent combination, and in a quick turn of events, they convince the powers that be to back down.
It’s a 45-minute show aimed at kids, so it’s perhaps picky to point out some of the plot twists occur out of the blue with insufficient set-up or explanation. Or that nobody in this particular city seems too freaked out, at least at the start, by the site of a dragon with a sword running amok. Just go with the flow.
Performances were quite fine. Katy Scruggs was the title character, bringing empathy to the role, while Nicole Redifer was the girl who first encountered Darius and befriended him.
Nicky Beane was the leader of the youth, trying to help the dragon against the likes of the police chief (Laura Wade) who just wants to make it to retirement in a few weeks and the mayor (Isabel Tate) who doesn’t want any political blemishes as she embarks on her re-election bid.
The second half of the production – “Rap-Punzel” – is relatively self-explanatory, as it takes the Brothers Grimm tale and updates it with a light rap theme, often providing comedic moments along the way.
You know the tale: A young husband and wife are forced to give up their baby to their next-door neighbor, who happens to be a witch. (Let’s hope the Realtor didn’t end up with the full commission when she sold them that house ...)
The witch locks up “her” daughter in a tower, ostensibly to protect her from the outside world, until a prince stumbles on the scene and falls in love.
The lyrics are at times clever, and many of the performances are quite good, although no single actor has so much time on stage to develop a true audience following.
I’d give kudos to Rosie Coolidge as the vegetable-loving witch; Nicky Beane and Sarah Malks as the parents; Ashley Britton as the title character; Alex Flood as the prince; and Juliet Smith and Maddy Smith as apprentice witches who tend the veggies.
In terms of depth, “Darius the Dragon” is the stronger show, but “Rap-Punzel” wraps up the evening well.
“Darius the Dragon” and “Rap-Punzel” continue through Jan. 15 at Rosslyn Spectrum Theatre, 1611 North Kent St. For tickets and information, call (703) 548-1154, or see the Web site at www.encorestage.org.
Rules of Conduct
Welcome to the discussion.