‘The Princess and the Pea’: Commedia craziness at Children’s Theatre

When you attend a live performance, you never expect to become a part of the show. But when you attend a performance at Children’s Theatre of Charlotte, anything is possible.

The second installment of the Explorer Series (targeting ages 4-6) is “The Commedia Princess and the Pea,” directed by CarlosAlexis Cruz, assistant professor of voice and movement at UNC Charlotte’s College of Arts and Architecture. He follows the style of commedia dell’arte, which (depending whom you ask) means “art comedy,” “comedy of craft” or even “company of comedians.” The style, developed in Italy in the mid-sixteenth century, uses masks, slapstick and improvisation.

Lane Riosley and Rebecca L. Byars adapted this version from the original fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen: A young prince searches for his authentic princess but finds only imposters, until a test initiated by his mother reveals a winner.

This version is a play within a play. A quartet of traveling actors have tiffs over who will assume the roles of the queen, prince, princess and butler. The minimal stage is a circle of wood with blue velvet-textured curtains hanging above it and serving as the dressing room, storage for props and a body of water.

Exaggerated movements and overly expressive emotions bring this performance to life. The repetitive yelps and ear-splitting outbursts from Punchin the butler (Scott A. Miller) drew giggles from wee audience members.

Rahsheem Shabazz (Arlequin/Prince) was a master at interacting with young patrons without missing a beat. At one point, he boldly asserted he was fearless; a tiny voice in the front row asked, “Are you afraid of heights?” and he quickly replied, “I’m not afraid of anything!” However, he is frightened of his overbearing mother, the queen (Veda Covington), who is staunchly dedicated to thwarting her son’s attempts at finding just any mate.

That prompts the prince and butler to scour the audience for potential princesses. The first inauthentic princess was a man; the last was me. I was instructed not only to secure a colorful veil to my head but to flap around and cluck like a chicken. Who wouldn’t have a grand time making a fool of herself in front of the toughest and smallest critics known to man?

If you watch the 65-minute performance, be prepared to cover your ears a bit, unless you’re accustomed to grown men screaming at random. Though the toddler attendees didn’t mind the amplified antics, some folks not expecting this level of intensity may be taken aback.

This story was originally published November 17, 2015 at 5:05 PM with the headline "‘The Princess and the Pea’: Commedia craziness at Children’s Theatre."