Modern Retelling of 'The Princess and the Pea' at Marriott Theatre
As a fan of fairy tales, I was excited to see that my favorite children’s theater, the Marriott Theatre of Young Audiences, was showing a modern retelling of the classic tale by Hans Christian Andersen “The Princess and The Pea.” I brought along my husband and my daughter, a true princess at heart, and we were all quite entertained from the beginning to end.
Disclosure: Our family was provided a complimentary tickets I was not required to express a particular point of view, and all opinions are my own. .Some links may contain affiliate links.
Overview of “The Princess and the Pea”
“Hear ye, hear ye…Prince Wellington is seeking a bride.”
Queen Evermean decides it’s time for her son, Prince Wellington, to get married. In order to find the “perfect bride,” she creates a reality game show called the “Princess Test.” The Prince wants to marry for love, and, wanting to escape from the obligations that his mother had presented, decides to escape through the royal forest. Only then does he meet Ruth, a bookworm looking for an adventure who happens to also share his love of books.They hit it off right away and the Prince has finally found his match, but the Queen insists she enter the Princess Test. With odds stacked against her, the Queen’s final test includes sleeping on a pile of mattresses with a pea somewhere in between. If she feels the pea and can’t sleep, she passes the test.
Thoughts of “The Princess and the Pea”
Engaging and entertaining. What a fun show! The true test was keeping my five-year-old engaged throughout the entire hour. She was hooked from the beginning. Audience participation is even encouraged as if we were part of the Princess Test reality show. Love that!
Modern. I commend them for bringing a classic tale and making it fit for the modern audience . People can easily relate to reality TV shows and the use of projection screens between scenes showing commentary by the game show hosts was genius.
The characters are a hoot. Queen Evermean, eerily reminding me of Elizabeth Taylor, is vivacious, loud, and oh, so funny. Her, along with the hilarious Chester the Jester made us laugh the whole time.
Fun costumes. The costumes for the royals are elaborate, flashy, and fun. Think Hunger Games meets the Princess Test.
Confusing set. The set was a little confusing at first with a sign for high school and a drive-in. Only later did I find out that Grease is also playing and they share the same set which made more sense.
A lesson to be learned. The message is quite clear and resonates with those young and old: Stay true to your self and follow your own heart. You’re free to write your own story.
Tip: As always, stay back until after the show for a Q&A with the cast. It’s one of my favorite parts of the entire show since kids are able to ask their curious questions. It also gives us a little glimpse of the personality of the actors and actresses.
Bottom Line:
This gets two thumbs up from my husband and I, and my 5-year-old daughter. When asked what her favorite part was she of course said, “All of it!”
