THE PRINCE AND THE PEA
Meteor Theatre, 1 Victoria Street, Hamilton
15/07/2019 - 20/07/2019
Production Details
CLASSIC KIDS SHOW RETURNS TO THE METEOR
The hilarious Electra Theatre Company classic is back again at The Meteor Theatre!
Originally written by Geoff Houtman in 1993 and adapted by award-winning playwright Benny Marama, the updated version of The Prince and the Pea was previously staged in 2016 as a fundraiser for The Meteor Theatre’s rebuild.
Theatre Manager Deborah Nudds remembers The Prince and the Pea from 20 years ago: “I went to see my friends perform, even though I didn’t have kids at the time. It was hilarious for adults too and has stayed with me all these years.”
A mysterious young man who washes ashore in the kingdom of Monteblat claiming to the long-lost Prince Ruprecht of Tilted Towers. There, he meets a villainous bodyguard, a mad Queen and her beautiful-yet-stubborn daughter Princess Marmalade with whom he falls madly in love. However, before they can be together, there are a few crazy tests which he must pass to prove that he is the Prince he claims to be.
Says Marama, “When Debs first approached me to adapt this in 2016, it was slightly intimidating. Four years on though, I’d like to think I’m a better writer this time around and revisiting this play has been a tonne of fun.” He adds, “I remember worrying about a few jokes that may have pushed the boundaries a bit. However, the adults found it hilarious and it went right over the heads of the kids in the audience so we’re safe!”
Joining him this time around is actor and singer Courteney Mayall, who will be co-directing with Marama. “I’ve been performing onstage for over a decade and this is the first time I’ve ever directed anything, so I’m up for the challenge,” says Mayall. “It’s exciting to be able to both act and direct in this show.”
With theatre stalwart Jono Freebairn and newcomer Creed Fletcher rounding out the cast, The Prince and the Pea is a show for kids 5 and over and for those adults who are still a kid at heart.
With hilarious hijinks, original songs and one or two health and safety issues*, The Prince and the Pea is guaranteed to have you rolling on the floor with laughter!
*The health and safety issues are exaggerated. However, in the unlikely event of an incident, we do have a Health and Safety Officer onsite and ready to help.
The Prince and The Pea
The Meteor Theatre
15 – 20 July 2016
Two shows daily, 10:30 am and 1:00 pm
TICKETS: www.themeteor.co.nz/events
CAST
Princess Marmalade – Courteney Mayall
The Spy – Creed Fletcher
The Queen of Monteblat – Jono Freebairn
Sisyphus – Benny Marama
PRODUCTION
Producer – Deborah Nudds
Lighting Design – Guy Coker and Michael Sorensen
Lighting and Sound Operators – Dominic Kabel and Zoe Li
Set Design – Adrian Holroyd
Costumes – Courteney Mayall and Michelle Mayall
Marketing – Hannah Mooney
Graphic Design – Glen Leslie
Theatre , Family , Children’s ,
Refreshingly subverts the old Fairytale narrative
Review by D.A. Taylor 17th Jul 2019
A mysterious figure arrives at the brightly-coloured Kingdom of Monteblat claiming to be a lost prince. In order to get prove himself a prince he must pass a series of tests and win over Princess Marmalade, her mad Queen mother and the villainous bodyguard Sisyphus.
If you’re familiar with the premise of Hans Christian Andersen’s narrative of a similar title, then you’ll already have a good grasp at what unfolds across the brisk 50 minutes for this show. The Prince and the Pea is a camp, fun play of big energies, light audience participation and enough energy – and a broad spectrum of jokes – to keep up the laughs and entertain kids and adults alike.
The kids’ show is a notoriously difficult genre to master, and The Prince and the Pea mostly succeeds, thanks to the enthusiasm of the cast, Benny Marama’s deft writing (Marama also shares directing and acting credits) and a simple and suitably ridiculous story.
We open with Benny Marama and Courteney Mayall welcoming the audience with classic pantomime instructions: ‘boo’ the villainous and darkly-robed Sisyphus (Marama), and give adoring ‘aww’s to the brightly-dressed Princess Marmalade (Mayall). After some testing to warm up the audience, we soon have The Spy (newcomer Creed Fletcher) jet-packing onto stage and the story beginning proper.
Marama is clearly having enormous fun stalking around the stage, swooping his cape like a bat, enunciating with a delicious villain voice (to quote Marama, “Jafar [from Aladdin], but camper”).
Mayall is as-well suited to the kids’ show stage as she is to the musical theatre where I’ve previously admired her work. Sweet and sharp, playfully bashful with each audience-admired entrance, as delightful as any beloved kids’ tv show host, Mayall is a blessing to Waikato theatre.
Jono Freebairn makes the perfect pantomime dame, his wildly made-up Queen alternating between comically shrill and richly baritone for laughs. Cutting his teeth on the stage, Fletcher’s The Spy deserves appreciation as the straight man against the mad characters and plot, increasingly frustrated at having to climb onto umpteen mattresses and sleep over smaller and smaller objects to prove his worth.
Rounding off the performers is one-man maestro Ben Sunn, who builds a live soundscape to the show, making The Prince and the Pea feel as dynamic and lively as any kids’ tv show.
What’s refreshing about the play is how it revises and subverts the fairytale narrative for the 21st century, offering an alternate take on the princess-seeks-prince story. The Queen wants to marry off Marmalade to a prince quite literally from a catalogue, but Marmalade would rather make her relationships and life on her own terms. It’s a simple enough contrast of message to Disney classics, but vital in a post-Tangled, post-Frozen mediascape.
There’s plenty in The Prince and the Pea to enjoy, so take advantage of the two shows a day to entertain the young ones during the school holidays.
Copyright © in the review belongs to the reviewer
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