Review: Make Way For DISNEY'S MOANA, JR. at Red Curtain Theatre

Make Way...Make Way...the Red Curtain Theatre in Conway has put on three different shows focused on kids since April with this last one being MOANA JR, which was created in a two-week intensive workshop. Directed by Johnny Passmore, everything from sets, costumes, choreography and learning lines were all done in a couple of weeks and presented Friday-Sunday, June 17-19, at the Conway Junior High School Auditorium, and the young performers looked like they were having a fun time. MOANA is one of my more favorite newer Disney movies, so I was interested in seeing what the Red Curtain brought to the stage.

MOANA (Ana Brandon) is about a young girl who is destined to lead her people and must make decisions about how to care for the island and its inhabitants. When coconuts start going bad and there are no fish in the lagoon, Moana, with encouragement from her grandmother Gramma Tala (Mia Williams), decides to search for Maui (Drew Williams), even though her father Chief Tui (Darius Harrison) is against it, to restore the heart of Te Fiti (Mattie Watson) and heal the lands of her people. Once she finds Maui and has him board her ship, they go find the crab Tamatoa (Makenna Jones) to get his hook back, and then locate Te Fiti/Te Ka to give the heart back.

With Music direction by Kent Britton and only having two weeks to learn the material, the performers did an outstanding job with this musical. Ana Brandon as Moana embodied the brave girl willing to face the ocean, a Demi God, and a monster to save her people; Drew Williams, minus the tattoos, seemed to really resemble his Demi God character; but our favorite was Mia Williams as Gramma Tala, because she really seemed sincere and comfortable with being the crazy lady of the island. Also, "Shiny" which featured Jones and her two claws Ansley Sherman and Eli Bartholomew was a very entertaining number. My associate (12-year-old son) Johnny thought the guy with the disco ball was really great!

The visual details were excellent in this production. I loved the costumes. Liz Parker and her team brought the characters to life as Disney intended; The set and props were functional, and the boat was so cool spinning and moving around on the stage; and Choreographer Antonio Horne had the dancers swirling with ribbons as the ocean.

What I like about this company is that it is noticeable that the younger actors and actresses are growing as performers. Red Curtain not only gives them quality theatrical material to experience, but they also provide dance, acting, and voice lessons throughout the year. Check out their website at https://www.redcurtaintheatre.com for more information.

Beginning August 5, don't miss Red Curtain's production of The Sound of Music, presented at Staples Auditorium at Hendrix College and directed by Jeffery Ward.

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