Babes in Toyland
(© Yi Zhao)
What’s the point of doing a musical if the majority of the cast can’t sing? Sure, The Little Lord Fauntleroys’ take on the holiday classic Babes in Toyland, now at the Ohio Theatre as part of the Ice Factory festival, is meant to be satirical. But any spoof still needs to be done with a certain amount of skill; otherwise, it’s just tedious.
Michael Levinton’s adaptation of Glen MacDonough’s 1903 libretto, featuring a number of popular Mother Goose characters, follows the basic trajectory of the original plot (much more so, in fact, than several of the more recent adaptations of the work). In it, the miserly Barnaby (played by Levinton) schemes to marry the young Contrary Mary (Laura von Holt), and get rid of his nephew Alan (Sofia Jean Gomez) and niece Jane (Megan Hill). Following the exposition-laden first act, they all end up in Toyland, where the Master Toymaker (David Greenspan) plots to turn his toys against the children whom he has come to loathe.
However, there are a number of significant changes to the tone of the piece, which in this interpretation is no longer intended for kids. The production, co-directed by Levinton and Jose Zayas, employs quite a bit of cross-gendered casting. Adding to the queer sensibility is a reinterpretation of some favorite nursery rhymes, including one in which Georgie Porgie not only kisses the girls, but also the boys.
The original Broadway staging of Babes in Toyland was a big-budget musical extravaganza, while this one has been redubbed a “recession spectacular.” But the appropriately lower budget look to the proceedings doesn’t actually limit the designers’ creativity, as Jason Simms’ cartoony painted flats and Asta Bennie Hostetter’s inventive costumes — among the production’s highlights — prove.
The show incorporates several of Victor Herbert’s songs from both the original and the 1961 Disney film version. Some of the group numbers like “Lemonade” come across well enough, and Greenspan offers a creepy yet understated rendition of “Toyland” that has pedophilic undertones. But several songs — like “Floretta” and “Go to Sleep” — are sung extremely badly. Similarly, the choreography by Johari Mayfield, Rodney Pallanck, and Sadrina Renee is decidedly lackluster.
The acting is sometimes even worse. Some of the cast members, such as Greenspan (who also plays Widow Piper) and Pallanck (as Mother Goose and Antoinette the Toyland Doll), possess enough talent that they shine, regardless of their surroundings. But the rest of the ensemble is apt to overplay the winking, deconstructive aspects of the production in lieu of presenting an entertaining performance.
