Review: THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG at Downtown Cabaret Theatre

On Saturday, April 25th, at 12:00 PM, I saw the newest Theatre for Young Audiences production at the Downtown Cabaret Theatre in Bridgeport, CT, THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG. The Theatre for Young Audiences shows at Downtown Cabaret Theatre continue to entertain the entire family! This one breaks the fourth wall in numerous ways, even encouraging the youth to audition to dance in the aisle during one part of the show, which got numerous children up and dancing, many of which may become future performers. The story is written by Robert Peterpaul and directed by Ashley DePascale, putting two of the Downtown Cabaret Theatre’s greatest stage performers behind the scenes, as other stars, both new and returning get to shine on stage.

This particular production makes numerous references, some overt, some subtle. The ones I caught include Beauty & the Beast, The Lion King, The Little Mermaid, Wicked, Hocus Pocus, Mean Girls, Legally Blonde, and without naming them, references two of the most famous fictional frogs, Kermit and Michigan J. Frog. My favorite of the references is an inside reference to the Downtown Cabaret Theatre for Young Audiences always having a Sheila who is celebrating a birthday in every audience. There is a character, a puppet of a squirrel, named Sheila, who has her name mentioned in “Happy Birthday,” as part of the show.

The other songs performed include Sixpence None the Richer’s “Kiss Me,” Joni Mitchell’s “Big Yellow Taxi,” and Hoku’s “Perfect Day” (the song in the movie Legally Blonde.) It also features some very brief performances of “Hello, My Baby,” and “Livin’ On a Prayer.”

The story starts in a similar format to The Princess Bride in that it is a grandparent telling the story to a grandchild. The grandmother, Nanny (Lisa DeAngelis) and granddaughter, Lily (Carolyn Clinton) interject themselves into the story in places, as the story goes on.

The central protagonist is Princess Elle (Sophie) who is turning sixteen years old on the day the story takes place. Princess Elle initially comes across rather shallow and self-absorbed. Princess Elle receives a necklace with a protective amulet on it, but she does not value it, since she feels that it is not very aesthetically pleasing. Sophie plays the lead character in a way that makes the audience genuinely want to see Princess Elle succeed at becoming a better person.

Lisa DeAngelis and Carolyn Clinton double in the story as Queen Hilton and Princess Julia, respectively, who are Princess Elle’s mother and sister, respectively. Lisa DeAngelis and Carolyn Clinton are both very convincing in both roles they each play, bringing two different roles to life, each, in the same show, a challenge in which they both succeed.

The family dog is Teddy (Jason Parry). Jason Parry is spot-on with the sounds and mannerisms of the dog, a different role for him, but he thrives at it, as he does with all his roles. Comedic highlights were when he would run from one side of the stage to the other.

The primary antagonist is Lady Tara (Taylor Marissa) a character who initially, with a spell book, comes across as a typical witch, speaking to her book with a tone reminiscent of Winifred Sanderson from Hocus Pocus. As the story goes on, though, it is revealed that Lady Tara is something even more diabolical than that. She is the pagan deity known as Mother Nature, but with a twist that she uses both scientific concoctions and dark magic to transform living things into entirely different species, demonstrated as she turns Teddy into a human who can talk, sing, and dance, but who still likes to chase squirrels. Teddy is then given the name Prince Harry. Lady Tara feels that all her evil actions are morally justified, since her motive is a retributive consequence to people for failing to take good care of the Earth, at least from her perspective. She wasn’t so much focusing on littering or pollution, but more on deforestation, as evidenced by her performance of “Big Yellow Taxi.” A key component beyond her heinous actions that makes Lady Tara such a fiendish villain is that she is devious enough to even manipulate her victims into believing that her literally dehumanizing actions towards them are understandable. Taylor Marissa absolutely excels in this role, really bringing the character to life!

Gideon (Dan Frye), the  former human, turned talking frog, is in the garden, by a fountain. Lady Tara has manipulated Princess Elle to believe she was going to meet a prince there. That was part of the scheme to get Princess Elle to lose the amulet, which falls off her neck into the fountain. When Lady Tara meets Gideon, the frog wants her to kiss him. Lady Tara wants nothing to do with him and lets him know in no uncertain terms. While one could argue that she was rude, unkind, and dismissive, there is another perspective that can be taken. If a human guy randomly asks a girl who he just met to kiss her, and she was your daughter or sister, wouldn’t you want her to respond harshly, possibly even with more than just strong words? The question Gideon asked is an insult to Princess Elle’s character. Sometimes, as an audience member, it is easy to dismiss or excuse the inappropriate behavior we see from a character who we view as a protagonist, especially when we perceive positive motivation, but it is important not to blur the lines of right and wrong. While Gideon’s motivation was to have the curse lifted by the kiss, to become human again, his approach was not the most appropriate. Dan Frye is excellent in this role, articulate and convincing.

After Lady Tara realizes that Princess Elle has lost the amulet, she offers Princess Elle a drink that is really a potion. Princess Elle drinks it and is turned into a frog. She meets back up with Gideon and they get along better, even after Gideon realizes who she was.

Another cast member who makes the most of her roles up on stage is Helen Clare who joins in on ensemble moments and provides a grounding sense of human normalcy amidst the puppets, animal characters, and elaborate costumes of the other cast members.

A positive message that this story sends to young girls is that if you don’t know what is in the cup, don’t drink it! This advice can especially come in handy years later, like at a frat party. To go along with that advice, young women should also realize that even if the drink is handed to them by another young woman who seems to connect with or relate to them, it still can not be trusted unless you know what is in the cup. This advice could save someone’s life down the road.

How does the story end? Throughout the story, Lily feared that the story would have what I would call a Mamma Mia! ending, which is when the central plotline remains unresolved. Spoiler alert, it does not have a Mamma Mia! ending. Was is the ending? Will it be a Shrek or Avatar ending where a main protagonist who started human is content being something less than human, due to falling in love with something less than human? Will they be transformed back into humans? Will Lady Tara change her ways? Will Teddy become a dog again? Will Princess Elle’s family lose the kingdom? Will Princess Elle and Gideon end up together? To find these answers, you will need to come to the show.