'Disenchanted' brings the magic back to the Croswell Opera House
Jul. 8—Cinderella will be kicking the Croswell Opera House's doors wide open this weekend, joined by a group of empowered Disney princesses ready to set the record straight about their pop-culture portrayals — and make fun of them too in a witty and adult-oriented fashion.
Disenchanted opens Friday and marks the return of live theater at the Croswell after the pandemic forced its closure for almost a year and a half. For such an occasion, the Croswell has chosen a female-empowering musical comedy whose characters rebel against the notion that marrying a prince leads to happily ever after. They're ready to shuck their tiaras and belt out the truth.
If you enjoyed seeing comedic portrayals of the Disney princesses in movies such as the Shrek series that passively made fun of their stories and personalities, Disenchanted pulls out all the stops with a story told using singing, dancing, and a magical pinch of adult-oriented humor.
Although there are plenty of jokes made about the Disney movies and their princess portrayals, Jen Letherer, who directs the show, said Disenchanted actually celebrates all the things audiences love about Disney princesses, but also asks some valid questions about some of the things that the Disney films could have handled a bit better. For example, Sleeping Beauty reviews her own story where she's kissed without her consent after sleeping for 100 years and decides to just marry the prince. Here we see her asking how her life turned out that way.
We also see other princesses are unhappy with how their stories were portrayed. It turns out, Ariel misses her fish tail, Belle still talks to inanimate objects and is tired of having to clean up after her husband — who's still a beast — while Aladdin's Jasmine (in this story, her actual name is Princess Badroulbadour) criticizes her Disney portrayal for essentially using her as a plot device that serves no purpose but to look pretty while wearing "trampy" clothes.
Letherer said Disenchanted offers the perfect mix of feel-good comedy and enticing music. But it's the characters' audience interaction — both in dialogue and in asking the audience to sing along at one point — that make it such a good choice for the Croswell's reopening.
"One of the things I love about Disenchanted reopening the doors is that the princesses are singing directly to the audiences," Letherer said. "After a year of having to see theater with a mask on, or theater shown on a computer screen, it's not the same. But this is going to be people standing on the stage singing to you, talking to you, relating to you while you're sitting in the theater with people you came with enjoying it, and that's something so special and so real and I feel like it's exactly the way to come back and do theater."
Tickets are between $15 and $25 and can be purchased online at croswell.org or at the theater at 129 E. Maumee St., Adrian, Mich.
Upcoming shows:
— Shakespeare in the PARK...ing Lot, a show by Stone Productions: July 23-25 at the Collingwood Arts Center, 2413 Collingwood Blvd., Toledo. Times and ticket information coming soon.
— All Shook Up School Edition, a Young Rep production: 7 p.m. Aug. 5 and 6 at the Ottawa Park Amphitheater, 2205 Kenwood Blvd., in Toledo.
— Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat: 7:30 p.m. Aug. 13-14 and Aug. 19-21, and 2:30 p.m. Aug. 15, 20 and 21 at the Croswell Opera House.
— Godspell, a show by Waterville Playshop: 8 p.m. Sept. 9, 10, and 11; and 2:30 p.m. Sept 11 and 12 at the Maumee Indoor Theatre, 601 Conant St., Maumee.
— Something Rotten!: Sept. 10-11, Sept. 17-19, and Sept. 24-26 at the Rep.
— I Ought to Be in Pictures: Sept. 17-19 and Sept. 24-26 at the Black Swamp Players' theater, located at 115 E. Oak St., Bowling Green.
— Something Rotten!: 7:30 p.m. Oct. 8-9 and Oct. 14-16, and 2:30 p.m. Oct. 10 and Oct. 17 at the Croswell Opera House.
— Matilda, a show by Waterville Playshop: 8 p.m. Oct. 22 and 23 and 2:30 p.m. Oct. 24 at the Maumee Indoor Theatre.
— Sherlock Holmes and the Adventure of the Fallen Soufflé: Oct. 29-31, and Nov. 4-7 at the Rep.
— Anastasia: (times vary) Nov. 4-7 at the Stranahan Theater, 4645 Heatherdowns Blvd., Toledo.
— A Christmas Story: 7:30 p.m. Nov. 26-27, Dec. 3-4, and Dec. 10-11; and 2:30 p.m. Nov. 28, Dec. 4-5, and Dec. 11-12 at the Croswell Opera House.
— An Officer and a Gentleman: (times vary) Dec. 2-5 at the Stranahan Theater.
— A Christmas Carol: Dec. 2-5 and Dec. 9-12 at the Rep.
— Every Christmas Story Ever Told (and Then Some): Dec. 10-12 and Dec. 17-19 at the Black Swamp Players' theater, located at 115 E. Oak St., Bowling Green.
Jeff Schmucker writes about theater for The Blade. Send news of theater and comedy events at least two weeks in advance to theater@theblade.com.
