Chelsea Melone (Photo by Eric Bondoc)
Reviewed by Audrey Weinbrecht
Sleeping Beauty by Amina Henry is one of the two commissioned world premieres presented as part of the Women in Theatre Festival at A.R.T/New York Theatres. This retelling of the classic children’s story is a lighthearted romp that includes important, progressive messages for kids about gender roles, consent and the bond between siblings.
The plot is a familiar one. Princess Rosamond is the beloved daughter of a king and queen who is cursed as a baby by the wicked fairy Iris that on her seventeenth birthday, she will prick her finger on a spindle and die. Good fairy Lily softens the curse so that Rosamond will only fall asleep to be awakened by a kiss.
Believing they’ve outsmarted the curse by getting rid of all the spindles, Rosamond’s parents throw her a seventeenth birthday bash and introduce her to Prince Rocky, who they hope she’ll marry. Rocky is accompanied by his spunky sister Princess Jewel who finds the whole marrying a stranger because your parents told you to thing ridiculous. When Rosamond falls under wicked Iris’ spell, Jewel accompanies her brother on his quest because she’s better at swords and she has his back.
The show doesn’t turn the familiar story completely on its head but it does get kids to question the way these stories are usually told. Why is sword fighting only for boys and baking only for girls? Isn’t making friends just as important as getting married? And isn’t being kissed by a stranger when you’re asleep pretty creepy? The last point feels especially poignant in today’s society but it’s handled with such a light touch that it feels natural to the story and not like a Talking To Kids About Issues moment. Overall, the show injects progressive values to great success.
The setting in a black box space seemed a bit dark and gloomy (despite the presence of bright pink streamers) for such a lighthearted story and the transitions were a bit clunky with the stage manger having to pick up set pieces and move them offstage. However, the cast was energetic and charming and more importantly, the show seemed to be a hit with its target audience.
The children in the audience of the performance I attended responded very well to the show. Many of the children whispered “No” when Princess Rosamond touched the spindle and at the end when Rosamond tells Rocky “Your sister is really cool” the little boy and girl sitting in front of me embraced.
The show runs for a brief but satisfying 45 minutes and is full of quirky humor to entertain the adults as well as the kids. It’s the perfect treat for a family.
Sleeping Beauty runs through June 30th on Saturdays and Sundays with performances at 12 PM and 3PM (Only one show on June 30th at 12 PM) at the Jeffrey and Paula Gural Theatre at the A.R.T./New York Theatres (502 West 53rd Street)
Theater That Matters 