The Phoenix Theatre for Children will present Rapunzel, the classic Brothers Grimm fairy tale about a beautiful young maiden locked in a tower, from Feb. 15-24 at Studio Two of the Riffe Center, 77 S. High St. for six performances only.
The Phoenix adaptation of Rapunzel, written by Phoenix Artistic Director Steven C. Anderson and directed by Phoenix Education Director Vanessa Becker, puts a twist on the story by presenting it with bunraku /[boon-rah-koo] style puppetry.
Bunraku is a form of traditional Japanese puppet theatre originated in Osaka in 1684. Rod puppets, which are approximately 3 feet tall, are carried by actors dressed in black robes who operate the body movements of the puppets and voice the characters’ lines. This allows the production to make use of the entire stage rather than be contained in the window of a typical puppetry stage.
“We had two goals when considering the presentation of this production,” says Phoenix Artistic Director Steven C. Anderson. “To expose young minds to a stunning cultural art form which they may not have experienced before, and to present a visual image of Rapunzel which differs from the mainstream portrayal but remains beautiful and resilient.”
Show times are Fridays at 7:30 p.m., Saturdays at 1 p.m. and 2:30 p.m., and Sundays at 1 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. Tickets are $20 for adults and $10 for children and can be purchased at the Ohio Theatre Ticket Office, 39 E. State St., all Ticketmaster outlets, and at www.ticketmaster.com.
To purchase tickets by phone, call 614-431-3600 or 614-469-0939.
Rapunzel tells the story of an expectant couple who steal from a neighboring garden owned by a terrible witch. The witch is angered by their thievery, and tricks the couple into giving her their child upon its birth. When the baby is born, the witch names her Rapunzel and whisks her off deep into the woods.
As Rapunzel grows older and blooms into a beautiful young maiden, the witch determines to isolate her from the world to keep her safe, and imprisons her in a tall tower with no doors and a single window at the top. The only way in or out of the tower is by climbing Rapunzel’s long, braided hair which she drops from the window when the witch commands, “Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair!”
One day, a handsome young prince hears Rapunzel singing from the window and follows her voice through the woods to the tower. As he wonders about the beautiful maiden in the window, he spies the witch approaching and hears her command the young girl to lower her hair. Upon watching the witch and learning how to gain entrance to the tower, the prince hatches a plan to rescue Rapunzel and take her to live with him in his kingdom.
German brothers Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm began to collect folk and fairy tales in the late 1700s. In 1812, the brothers published a collection of 86 stories in their first book of fairy tales, Children’s and Household Tales. In the next volume, titled Grimm’s Fairy Tales, the brothers added 70 more stories. Six editions later, the collection contained over 200 stories.
Rapunzel is recommended for children 3 years and older and has a running time of one hour.