"Kiss her!" all the kids yelled at a high decibel to the confused Prince Charming. It was one of their chances to get involved with the show, and they were determined to be heard.
StoryBook Theater's Sleeping Beauty gives the children in the audience a chance to point out the obvious to the charmingly oblivious actors. In this case, the prince was poking and shouting at the sleeping Princess Beauty to wake her up, instead of puckering up for a smooch.
Two of the best things about StoryBook shows are that they are always interesting and appropriate for squirmy tots, and that there is usually something to make the boys guffaw, even if the show is based on a fairy tale. In this case, it was the dashing Prince Charming whose over-the-top exuberance and antics had the audience laughing out loud.
The prince is determined to take his light saber and Transformers shield to slay a dragon. My 6-year-old son's favorite parts of the show were all about him. My 4-year-old daughter loved it all. She joined in the songs and enjoyed sitting next to the pretty princess, who comes out to the audience with popcorn to watch the prince's journey.
The plot generally stays true to the fairy tale – a bad fairy puts a spell on Beauty that will come to pass on her 16th birthday with a spindle prick. Yet the show never becomes dreary because there is a good dose of StoryBook hilarity thrown in: quirky songs, slapstick comedy and main characters who would rather be off traveling the world and pursuing adventures than learning their lessons.
I look forward to seeing how the "villians" are portrayed in each StoryBook show. In Sleeping Beauty, the bad fairy, or "BF," has flamenco dancer appeal with black heels, glittering red lipstick and roses adorning her dress and black wings. She delivers the spinning wheel dressed as a UPS driver and duels valiantly with Prince Charming until she gets stuck to the thorn wall.
The rest of the cast does a great job, too. Instead of three good fairies, there is one amiable Fairy Godmother, or "FG," who only wants the best for Beauty. To undo the severity of BF's spell, she sings a song backward. One of the funniest parts in the show is when the king keeps fainting after Beauty shows him her pricked finger.
Each StoryBook show is performed in Kirkland, Renton and Seattle, with the latter two locations still to go for Sleeping Beauty. The production lasts about an hour, with no intermission. After the show, the cast sticks around to give autographs, which is a big hit with the kids. And, if your little ones love the music, there are CDs for sale in the lobby.
IF YOU GO
Where: Renton: Carco Theater, 1717 Maple Valley Hwy. Seattle: Museum of History & Industry in McCurdy Park, 2700 24th Ave. E.
When: Renton: May 7 and 8, 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.; Seattle: May 15, 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.
Cost: $9 for all seats.
Contact: 425-820-1800; www.storybooktheater.org.
Taryn Zier is a freelance writer based in Lake Forest Park and mother of two theater-loving children, ages 4 and 6.