By JULIE CARLE
BG Independent News
The Big Bad Wolf is facing prison time for his alleged misdeeds in fairy tales. He’s charged with scaring little girls in the woods, stealing sheep, eating an old woman, and huffing and puffing on some little pigs’ homes.
In Horizon Youth Theatre’s production of “The Big Bad Musical,” directed by Mikayla Trimpey, that hoodlum wolf (Charlie Dielman) is in the fairy tale courtroom of the Judge (Oliver McClure), to plead his case.
The prosecuting attorney, also known as the Fairy Godmother (Quinn Schneider) battles the Evil Stepmother (Carina Motisher), the reluctant wolf defender.
The witnesses are all of the Big Bad Wolf’s so-called victims: Little Red Riding Hood (Charlie Beach), Red’s Grandmother (Boudi Grills-McCarty), Pig One, Pig Two and Pig Three of the Three Little Pigs ( Gavin Snyder, Livy Emch, Bradey Smeltzer ), the Shepherd (Chloe Mayle), Woodcutter (Ella Beach) and Boy Who Cried Wolf (Devin Rogel).
The Wolfettes (Boudi Grills-McCarty, Chloe Mayle, Carina Motisher) are the backup singers and dancers for the Big Bad Wolf’s numbers.
The case is called the Trial of the Century, “the greatest since Once Upon a Time,” Court TV reporter Sydney Grimm (Ruby St. Louis) says during the first of her live reports of the trial.
The Fairy Godmother’s opening remarks are passionate and so lawyer-like, claiming the Big Bad Wolf “left my clients hurt and homeless.”
Despite being “one of the great legal minds” in this fairy tale land, the Evil Stepmother has no opening statement to defend the wolf, to which the wolf howls, “Why won’t anyone understand me? Do you know what it’s like to have everyone hate you?”
“Awooooo. I Got Nothing to Say,” is the wolf’s response to the charges, claiming the prosecution “got the story all wrong.”
Each of the witnesses is called to the stand by the Fairy Godmother to share their fairy tale stories of the wolf’s misdeeds. Red Riding Hood relays how she was scared by the wolf. Grandmother talks about not seeing the wolf before he ate her. The Woodcutter claims he was doing a good deed by cutting the wolf to save Grandmother and Red Riding Hood.
The songs throughout the musical are fun and each with their own vibe from a square dance feel in “He Huffed and He Puffed,” to almost gospel like in the wolf’s “Have Mercy on Me.”
The Boy belts out “I Cried Wolf” to explain why he said there was a wolf on three occasions and why no one listened to him the third time when there really was a wolf.
In “No More,” Fairy Godmother demands that the wolf is “nothing but a thief and a hood, and now the Big Bad Wolf ain’t gonna scare nobody no more.”
The moral of this fairy tale is that not everything is as it seems. When the Big Bad Wolf sings “Have Mercy on Me,” he implores the jury to consider his pedigree and his upbringing.
“It’s not my fault. I was born a wolf, it’s the way nature made them,” he says. He’s also a victim of a “prejudicial game,” created by the media and others, labeling him as the “Big Bad Wolf.”
He denies the charges claiming he’s vegan and “allergic to meat.”
The classic nature vs. environment argument plays out for the jury to decide. And the audience is the jury.
Will they clap to put the wolf in jail or clap to deem him innocent? The ending of each performance will determine the wolf’s fate.
Horizon Youth Theatre’s Fairytale Court is in session Friday and Saturday (Nov. 7-8) at 7 p.m. and Sunday (Nov. 9) at 6 p.m. when “The Big Bad Musical” takes the stage at the Grand Rapids Town Hall. Tickets are $15 for adults and $12 for kids and seniors. Group pricing is also available, $10 each for groups of 5 or more. To purchase tickets online, visit the HYT website.
Joining Trimpey on the production team are Violet Grossman, assistant director; Kelly Frailly and Mattie O’Lasky, music co-directors; Riley Runnells, choreographer; Harley Partlow, stage manager; Fox Roberts-Zibbel, assistant stage manager; Liz Robertson, technical director; Tim Barker, producer; Madi Chase, props designer; Libby Cassidy, hair and makeup; Liz Robertson and Harley Partlow, set designers; and Kobé Towbridge, graphic designer.
Members of the crew include: Charlie Vostal, lighting design; Eve Barman, sound design; Avery Myers, light board operator; Parker Schneider, sound board operator; Alexa Schneider and Maggie Otley, deck crew; Liz Robertson, Harley Partlow, Carina Motisher, devin Rogel, Liam Rogel and Avery Myers, set builders; Liz Robertson, Harley Partlow, Alexa Schneider, Parker Schneider and Maggie Otley, set painting.
The Horizon Youth Theatre invites the public to be part of the jury to see how the ending changes in each of the performances for the rousing finale—”May All Your Ever Afters.”
“You’ll find it’s not that simple. Justice is never black and white. On this night, as you go along, remember the things may not always be what they seem.”
