Review: "The Ugly Duckling" at Arkansas Arts Center Children's Theatre
First things first: Go ahead and buy your ticket to a performance of "The Ugly Duckling" at the Arkansas Arts Center Children's Theatre. Hurry! We'll wait!
Ok, now that you have that taken care of, read on.
It's not an easy task to describe the delightful new production that opened at the Arkansas Arts Center Children's Theatre on Friday night. It's not easy, because, quite simply, we've never seen anything like it!
In "The Ugly Duckling" (devised and directed by Katie Campbell), paper puppets comprise both the scenery and many of the characters; the paper cuttings are artfully arranged and moved on an overhead projector (like those once common in school classrooms) by actor/puppeteers Paige Carpenter and Rivka Kuperman. The effect is an intricate shadow puppet performance cast onto a large screen for the audience's viewing.
The main character, a solitary young girl with a rich imagination, is represented by both a live actor's shadow (Aleigha Morton) and a paper silhouette. Behind the screen, she moves and interacts with the shadowy world around her, playing hide-and-seek with her disappearing reflection in the mirror and dancing with drawers that pop out from her dresser.
In contrast to the intricate imagery is a simple storyline that reimagines Hans Christian Andersen's famous tale. The girl at the center of the story is happy and playful at home, but lonely and overwhelmed at school. After a bullying incident on the playground (warning: the dramatic scene might startle younger children), her inner "ugly duckling" emerges and the character takes on the form of a little duck. She goes on a transformative journey, and makes a friend in the end, too.
The simple plot makes it possible for kids to follow along, even though there is no dialogue in the 36-minute show. The youngest audience members may need a little guidance following the story; try reading the original fairy tale before attending a performance. And grown-ups may want to give their child verbal cues during some of the show's more active moments.
In the absence of dialogue, the Arkansas Symphony Youth Orchestra (directed by Geoffrey Robson) helps tell the story with an original score composed and arranged by Jessica Drake Mosher. The music bounces lightly through some of the light-hearted scenes, while dramatizing the stress and anxiety of the happenings at school. It's a special treat and interesting reversal to have the orchestra in full view of the audience, while all of the action takes place behind a screen.
Which brings us to another point: "The Ugly Duckling" is presented in a much smaller black box theater, which will be a new experience for AACCT fans. The intimate space will house three Studio Shows for the 2015-2016 season, all of which explore new ideas and themes. It's exciting to see the AACCT expand its offerings and experiment with different forms of theater and subject matter—we highly recommend the experience for families who are looking for something they haven't seen before.
In short, "The Ugly Duckling" is a mesmerizing, surprising and wholly original piece of work. Theater lovers of all ages: You don't want to miss this! (Now, aren't you glad you bought those tickets already?)
"The Ugly Duckling" will play through Sept. 6 at the Arkansas Arts Center Children's Theatre. Showtimes are 7 p.m. Fri., 2 & 7 p.m. Sat., and 2 p.m. Sun. Tickets are $10, members $8. The show is best enjoyed by children in kindergarten and up. For more information, visit ArkansasArtsCenter.org.