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Entering the theater, the audience encounters what seems to be a group of middle school students in their nightclothes gathered in the school library for a PTA-sponsored pajama party. The shelves contain a number of books, and spread around the room are illustrations from fairy tales. Some of the children are gathered in cliques, while others are sitting alone and apart from their peers. One has even taken to dancing around the room by herself, oblivious to the others. As it turns out, however, the performers are actually supposed to be fairy tale princesses and princes. When the show itself begins, we are introduced to Scheharazade (Livie Casto), who spends the rest of the 75-minute production introducing us to each of the 13 princesses, who take turns—one after the other—singing a song. Occasionally, one or more of the show's four non-singing princes enters to participate in a bit of dancing, choreographed by the show's director Megan Mekjian. But that's about it. Much of the music is reminiscent of the kinds of melodies that would have been sung by Judy Collins or Joan Baez back in the day. There also are a couple of sultry torch songs, a bit of rockabilly, and a sweet lullaby included in the mix. Madeline Fansler as the Twelfth Dancing Princess and Kristen Kelleher as the guitar-strumming Traveling Princess stand out among the singers, with the latter leading the company in the rousing "World's End," the best number of the night. It is possible that if Royal Fables were to be presented as a straightforward concert, it might serve to showcase both the composer and the singers. Sadly, however, devoid of plot, theme, or connections among the stories, the production could be titled "Eighteen Characters in Search of an Author."
Royal Fables
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