HTY’s ‘Lilly’
By John Berger
delivers family fun
Special to the Star-Bulletin
By Brad Goda,
Honolulu Theatre for Youth
Nara Springer plays Lilly in Honolulu Theatre for
Youth's "Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse." The
play opens Saturday at Richardson Theatre.Honolulu Theatre for Youth's staging of "Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse," intended for pre-schoolers and elementary school kids, is one of those great shows that address universal experiences in an all-inclusive manner.
Lilly (Nara Springer) and her friends, Wilson (Walter S. Eccles II) and Chester (Hermen Tesoro Jr.), encounter overbearing older kids. They deal with the tension that can sour a friendship when a new kid enters the picture. They experience the sense of guilt that comes with telling an "innocent" lie. Lilly and the other characters are mice but these are experiences kids of all background can relate to.
Lilly must also deal with her snooty cousin, Garland (Cheryl Bartlett), and fight to control her growing dislike of her baby brother (a puppet animated by Cynthia See). Lilly had eagerly anticipated the new arrival but soon comes to resent him bitterly.
And then there's school. When Lilly's grandmother buys her a marvelous musical purple plastic purse she is so proud and excited that she takes it to school and interrupts a lesson about cheese to show it off. Her teacher finally sends her to the "Light Bulb Lab" for a time-out and she draws a nasty picture of him as "Wanted by the FBI." Later, when she is no longer angry at him, she dreams that the FBI comes and arrests him because of her drawing.
Director Mark Lutwak presents this Kevin Kling adaptation of Kevin Henkes' stories in a colorful and generally well-paced manner. The kids at a performance Tuesday morning got restless at a couple of points but generally seemed entranced by Lilly and the others. Several comic dance sequences were particularly popular.
Unlike some HTY shows in years past the musical numbers added to the dramatic experience rather than interrupting the flow of the story. Darin Au (sound design) does an excellent job filling Richardson Theatre with clean clear sound. Everything is audible; nothing is too loud.
Springer is engaging and entertaining as the spunky and imaginative Lilly. She gets fine support from HTY veterans Eccles and Tesoro. All three roles require ability as physical comedians; all three actors deliver.
Eccles and Tesoro also appear as Lilly's parents; Bartlett and See portray various other characters. Puppets and an interesting assortment of props create other characters and suggest key inanimate objects.
David Minkoff's simple but colorful set suffices to define a variety of locations; a clever yet simple visual technique indicates each change of time or place. BullDog's props add an array of visual embellishments. Frances Kenny's appealing mouse costumes and Richard Schaefer's lighting complete this impressive production.
HTY recommends the show for kids 3 and older. Anyone with children in the target demo will find "Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse" a best bet in weekend family entertainment this month.
REVIEW
On Stage: "Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse," presented by Honolulu Theatre for Youth
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