Snow White was a non-Disney version of the familiar tale featuring the vain stepmother Queen (played with malevolent flair by Maeve Wyble) plotting to kill Snow White, her rival for “fairest of them all" (the sweet Ruby Hatfield.) Olivia Hallan was a standout as the Enchanted Vixen fox who helps Snow in her flight through the forest to hide out with the seven dwarves — in this version Gabby, Gloomy Gus, Ticklish, Spritely, Snorer and Slowpoke, led by Sarge, who was particularly good, played by Tessa Stathakis — each sporting lovely moppy beards.
The Queen/Witch’s two alter-egos, Esmerelda and the Crone, were well played by Megan Lavery, who looked enough like Maeve to make me check the cast list. Though the makeup was generally good throughout, I would have liked to have seen a more severe “Crone” transformation. I think the video quality/lighting may have faded some lines/shading, and I could barely see the alleged “wart” on her nose. At least she could have removed the red lipstick? I just thought Megan was still too lovely be so upset about her appearance.
Princess and the Pea is always stuck in my Queen Aggravain brain as Once Upon a Mattress, and this differed significantly from that version. The queen (Calliope Miller) was not a villain, and the king (Colton Kolka) was not mute, but both brought fun and feeling to their characters as the concerned parents of the unmarried prince (Jane Charet) who was sent off with cute sidekick Jester Bri VanZwoll to find a true princess bride. A mattress-piled bed model with a giant hand placing the pea illustrated the “test” bed, and various true-princess contestants were virtually tucked in, mostly non-princesses sent by the cutely evil Witch Zelda played by Rachel Hunt.
The Snow White/Princess combo can be viewed at any time and people who purchase a ticket will be able to rewatch through the end of November when it will be removed from youtube.
Tickets are $20. AECT recommends people purchase tickets over the phone through Hannah Center front desk (517) 333-2580 ext 0 but tickets can also be purchased online through the link, which is a little unwieldy since you need to sign up for an “account” but it does work, if you prefer online:
https://web1.vermontsystems.com/wbwsc/mieastlansingwt.wsc/search.html?module=AR&type=Theat&SessionID=e3ddec84e699eec34ba4a06da244a812e6756df527f7200e42e2c6aa2fba76d3eb91162b0a880034ef158dab54a249328545e80a9a12f6eab44f596b4fdee6f4