Review: SLEEPING BEAUTY at Live Theatre Workshop

SLEEPING BEAUTY is a fun, fresh take on the fairy tale, now playing at Live Theatre Workshop. Adapted by Charlotte Langford and with music by Michael Martinez, SLEEPING BEAUTY plays with the material and subverts expectations while also retaining the core story, resulting in a delightful family-friendly comedy. Fairy tales are often chosen for children's theatre productions, and they can be hit or miss. I am happy to report that SLEEPING BEAUTY is a great time at the theatre for kids and adults. It is funnier than I expected and best seen with a large crowd.

Direction and staging by Tyler Gastelum, Michael Martinez, and Amanda Gremel is visually pleasing. Spacing of actors is thoughtful and non-repetitive. The Children's Theatre is a small space, and I was intrigued by how many different staging configurations we saw in this production. A simple move of a bench from one side of the stage to the other not only shifted the actors but also the passage of time. This move was well-executed. The actors were all clearly enjoying themselves, and this also comes from capable direction and a dynamic theatre culture, as only Live Theatre Workshop can provide. Music direction and choreography were thoughtful and aligned to the heart of the story.

Since SLEEPING BEAUTY is a musical, I will be providing some feedback on the vocal aspects. It should be noted that each actor's performance from an acting standpoint was very strong, and I will circle back to that later. Benjamin Walker Evans (King Benevar) is tonally consistent but not vocally polished. Timea Post (Queen Millicent) balances the duets with Evans, with a focused and grounded sound. Both characters do not need to be outlandish in their vocals, as the King and Queen are meant to be a little boring. 

Alexandra Kaplan (Catonia) is charming and charismatic. Vocally I could have used more projection and breath management. I have never heard Emily Fuchs (Sara the Surly) sing before. She has a powerful and well-supported mixed voice and belt and I would love to see her do more musical theatre. I was pleasantly surprised. Nika Aguilar (Princess Elizabeth Rose) is a dynamic singer. Her phonation often had an even flow, though at times her vibrato had a tremolo if too rapid. Alec Errhalt (Prince Harold) was the wild card. I thoroughly enjoyed his resonant sound. He fits right into musical theatre and I would also like to see more of him.

Mike Saxon is more of a comedic actor than a singer, and I wanted to take a moment here to acknowledge just how essential his performance is to this production. I primarily know Saxon's work as a stage manager. I was not aware of his comedic prowess. Saxon steals every scene he is in as King Trevor. The production significantly leveled up whenever Saxon was onstage. He had our audience in the palm of his hand and was such a joy to watch. In terms of stage presence and expressiveness, Aguilar and Errhalt were most definitely highlights. They had strong chemistry and comedic timing.