The best children’s theater doesn’t underestimate the intelligence or emotional capacity of its young audiences. With his elegant and playful 1993 adaptation of “Sleeping Beauty,” Welshman Charles Way created a sophisticated piece of theater that is almost introductory Shakespearean in presentation; one that boldly explores the dark nature of humanity while still always making those in attendance feel safe and entertained.
While many children’s troupes play down to the lowest presumed attention span, Denver Children’s Theatre tells “Sleeping Beauty” with the complexity and sophistication of an adult company. It sets the narrative bar high, then trusts the vastly varying youngsters in attendance to journey up and along with them, to whatever level of understanding might feel comfortable to each young mind.
“Sleeping Beauty” sets jealousy and revenge against unconditional love and timeless sacrifice. It’s a fully fleshed retelling of the classic 1697 tale of impatient 16-year-old princess Briar Rose (Jamie Ann Romero), who is put to sleep for a century to avoid a lethal spell.
It is an epic adventure and an innocent romance. But it touches on an array of personal issues, such as children wanting independence, and the impossibility of ever completely protecting them.
Kids will love a recognizably incompetent and meek boy prince (Josh Hartwell) and a fun, half-man, half-dragon sidekick named Gryff (Elgin Kelley). But they will also confront a frightening Spider King (Brian Landis Folkins) that requires five human bodies to operate, and an evil witch who could pass for Lady Macbeth (Karen Slack, who just played that role). Her line “I am I, and you are you, to our natures we must be true,” sounds straight from Lady M’s poisoned lips.
It’s at heart a digestible treatise not only on good vs. evil, but on the emotions (isolation, rejection) that drive one to evil. Kids are allowed to feel foreboding and other difficult emotions, and why not? No one knows fear like kids.
Of course, women always have gotten a bad rap in fairy tales, but at least here the sisterly rivalry is given fair context. Branwen the good fairy (Mare Trevathan) leaves an unwanted infant in the forest as a gift for her barren king and queen. But when slighted sister Modren (Slack) is banned from the christening, she condemns the child. Audiences know exactly how that curse will be broken, but here the prince’s buzzer-beating kiss is the culmination of a significant journey to adulthood.
The performances are uniformly rich, but then again, this cast here is about as stacked as it gets (four Denver Post Ovation Award winners from 2007 alone). The only real confusion is a confounding inconsistency of accents.
Most winning is the playful pairing of Hartwell and Romero as teen-pals-turned-lovers. Slack holds nothing back in dueling for sorcerous superiority with a sister whose weakness is her decency.
Tina Anderson’s set effectively morphs from the castle to the forest and back again. Director Billie McBride, an accomplished actor herself, also designed the sound and props.
After the breezy 70 minutes, none of the kids were left behind or bawling. None was traumatized, though I’d put the target age at about 8 and up (the Denver Children’s Theatre’s official recommendation is grades K-6).
All the kids I saw were better off for having gone. If anything, they departed with a kind of smugness for having been intellectually respected. The DCT also offers talkbacks and backstage tours after every performance.
One small piece of advice: Treat the kids like adults, but add a line about kicking to the opening speech about theater etiquette. Friday’s performance felt more like a soccer match than a play.
John Moore: 303-954-1056 or jmoore@denverpost.com
“Sleeping Beauty”
Children’s classic. Presented by Denver Children’s Theatre at the Mizel Center, 350 S. Dahlia St. Adapted by Charles Way. Directed by Billie McBride. Through May 4. 70 minutes. Public performances 1 p.m. most Sundays. Weekday shows for school groups. $6-$7. 303-316-6360 or . Most recommended for ages 8-12. Note: The Denver Post does not award star ratings to children’s plays.
