Hartford Children’s Theatre puts the icing on PINKALICIOUS through October 16

Pinkalicious
Book by Elizabeth Kann & Victoria Kann
Music by John Gregor
Lyrics by John Gregor, Elizabeth Kann & Victoria Kann
at the Hartford Children's Theatre in Hartford, CT through October 16
www.hartfordchildrenstheatre.org

To begin this review, I need to provide some full disclosure.  I have had a long-standing association with the Hartford Children's Theatre, having served as a volunteer on the board for many years (I no longer serve in that capacity).  I have had the pleasure of watching HCT grow from a small two-person operation in found office space to a Hartford institution with its own theatre, offices and classrooms in a charming West End Victorian, and an ever-burgeoning array of classes and productions. 

All that being said, I have always been clear-eyed about how some of the company's productions could be less-than-satisfactory.   I am delighted to report that with Artistic Director Ryan Ratelle at the helm, the quality of HCT's productions has increased to professional levels that have long been the goal of the company.  Just because theatre for young audiences is for children does not mean that it has to be inferior quality.  Kids can be astute with a fine-tuned detector for things that are boring or shabbily done.  In other words, they are better critics than grown-ups sometimes.  When I attended HCT's production of the musical Pinkalicious, directed by Ratelle and Summar Elguindy, the audience was packed with pink-swathed pre-teens.   I would quickly know if this adaptation of the beloved children's book was stinkalicious or something tastier.

No worries - this Pinkalicious production is fast, funny, eye-popping and, of course, pink as can be.  The story by Elizabeth and Victoria Kann is easily synopsized:  Pinkalicious Pinkerton loves the color pink (no surprise there).  Her overwhelming desire for pink cupcakes leads her to over-consumption, which naturally turns her pink.  The only cure?  Eating green vegetables.  The piece is deceptive in that it seems overly simple, but manages to weave in lessons on greed ("you get what you get and you don't get upset"), healthy eating, the perils of over-indulging, and that it is okay for boys to like the color pink.  (I was disappointed, however, that the play did not address the dangers of conjunctivitis, a.k.a. pink eye.)

Ratelle and Elguindy keep everything moving at a jack-rabbit pace, never allowing the show to lose its light touch.  The pre-recorded music by John Gregor (with lyrics by Gregor and the Sisters Kann) is cute and catchy and helps keep the plot humming along.  The set designed by Ratelle and created by Nick D'Angelo and Magge Gagliardi is a colorful rendering of the Pinkerton home, and the costumes by Alyssa Opishinski are right on the money.  Choreographer Caitlin Sailer keeps the cast and the action swinging.

The cast is led by VictoRia Mooney as the title character with the cupcake addiction.  With wide eyes, a strong voice and pinkarrific personality, Mooney charms in a role that could easily annoy with its single-minded focus on the color pink.  She is a bundle of energy, darting all over the set and interacting with the audience.  As the Pinkertons, the put-upon parents of the playful Pinkalicious, Shannon Sobolow and Mike Bloom strike just the right balance.  Oftentimes in children's tales, parents are scolds or (in the case of many Disney tales) dead.  In Pinkalicious, the Pinkertons are gloriously alive, involved and caring.  Both Bloom and Sobolow sing well and join their daughter in pinktastic dance numbers. 

The family is rounded out by Christopher Cavallo in the role of Peter Pinkerton, the son who tries to keep Pinkalicious in check while harboring a deep, pink secret.  Cavallo is a musical match for his hardworking castmates.  Unfortunately, he falls into a common acting pitfall for adults playing children: by exaggerating a high-pitched child's voice and over-delivering every intention, he never seems like a child.  Critics and audiences sigh in delight when a child is "a natural" onstage instead of a cloying or stilted presence.  Adults playing children need to make note of this as well.  Anne Fowler, appearing as Pinkalicious's BFF Allison, understands this and wrings the laughs out of her small part.  Fowler doubles as Dr. Wink and delivers a full-throated diagnosis of "Pinkititis."

Already a smash for HCT, Pinkalicious has been twice-extended through October 16.  Judging from the fully-engaged audience of pink-addicted children in the audience, word of mouth on this pink pleasure will be great on the playground.

Photo by Thomas Giroir.

 

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