Fangs for the memories
Badass bunny at the BTG
by Christopher Key
How do you create a story for children about vampires without scaring the little ankle-biters out of their wits? Try making the vampire a bunny. That’s what James Howe and his late wife Deborah did with their popular series of tales about Bunnicula. Seattle Children’s Theatre commissioned Jon Klein to adapt it for the stage and added music by Chris Jeffries and lyrics by Klein. The result is a show that appeals to kids of all ages opening this week at the Bellingham Theatre Guild.
Yes, it’s a children’s show, but there is enough snappy dialogue and atrocious puns to keep the big kids chuckling and groaning throughout. Director Shelley Jefferson has recruited a stellar cast and crew to make it happen. Set designer Russ Nelson has created an evocative environment that envisions things from the point of view of family pets. Those pets are the stars of the show. The superb makeup was created by Julie Zavala-Marantette and equally wonderful costumes by Bryan Harthorne.
Harold, the dog, and Chester, the cat, rule the Monroe family home like (mostly) benign tyrants and are not entirely pleased by the addition of a rather suspicious bunny. Katherine Roos perfectly characterizes the dog as one who is pathetically anxious to please. As the intellectually snobbish cat, Cassidy Young is charmingly cynical. Both of these actors have strong voices and use them to great effect in the musical numbers.
The title role is very challenging because Bunnicula doesn’t speak. Jasmine Chang, who plays the part, has to convey her character entirely through body language, with the exception of an occasional hiss. Beautifully done.
Those of us who have been around for a while will find the humans in the Monroe household to be perfect TV sitcom archetypes. Mr. and Mrs. Monroe make Ozzie and Harriet look like hipsters. Dale Sharp is delightfully geeky as the father, a college professor who couldn’t pour water out of a boot with instructions on the heel. Emily Lester is absolutely smashing as the ditzy mother who makes Edith Bunker look like a towering intellectual. Yeah, I know, the references are dated. So sue me.
Any sitcom family worthy of the name needs a couple of bratty kids. In the Monroe family, they are Pete and Toby, played by Aaron Helms and Ashlyn Cearns. Both young actors demonstrate amazing stage presence and prodigious acting skills. These two will be worth keeping an eye on to see what worlds they will conquer next.
There is one rather ominous personage in the play and that is the Puppeteer, whose skeletal presence makes Bunnicula move. Frankly, I feel the character is extraneous and rather distracting, but that’s a flaw in the script and not the fault of Grace Pyles who acquits herself gracefully in a somewhat thankless role. Fortunately, she gets to throw off the dark duds and play the Veterinarian at the end.
The BTG has wisely stuck by their policy, initiated last year, of earlier curtain times and added matinees for children’s shows. 7:00 p.m. shows are on November 27, December 4, 5, 11 and 12. 2:00 p.m. matinees are on November 28 and 29, December 5, 6, 12 and 13. Tickets are $11 for adults, $9 for students and seniors (62+), and $7 for children age 12 and younger. Reservations are highly recommended and can be made by calling the BTG box office at (360) 733-1811 Tuesdays through Saturdays from 1:00 to 6:00 p.m.
For further information, see the BTG Web site: http://www.bellinghamtheatreguild.com/.
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