Short, sweet ‘Duckling’ offers enjoyable evening of theatre

Theatre IV's production of the children's classic, "The Ugly Duckling," is bright and child friendly, but the story sure has changed since I was a child -- or even since I was the mother of a young child.

Rollicking scenes like the upbeat "Rock'n Roll Mole" and a disco dancing eagle may not have been inspired by Hans Christian Anderson, but they sure do contribute to an enjoyable evening of theatre. (Not all the patrons of this children's theatrical event, targeted for ages 3 and up, were children -- or even accompanied by children. One of the most enthusiastic participants in the Eagle dance was one such unaccompanied adult!)

How appropriate that a 13-year-old stole the show. Make no mistake, Eric Pastore, who stars as Honker, the Ugly Duckling, is no novice. With past productions ranging from Barksdale to Stage 1 and SPARC to Virginia Commonwealth University, this young thespian has quite a résumé under his belt. He also has a great deal of stage presence, and with his clear and confident voice, he can hold his own against the very capable adults with whom he shared the stage.

Directed and choreographed by Jan Guarino, "The Ugly Duckling" offers its audiences of all ages a combination of classic and contemporary, traditional and unconventional. There is a trio of misfit friends three is the magic number in fairy tales -- who set out on an ill-planned but good intentioned adventure.

Ali Thibodeau is sweet and charming as Melissa, the Baron's daughter who has been, like all good fairy tale heroines, under a spell. Honker, of course, comes to her rescue. Durron Marquis Tyre and Aly Wepplo make a good comedy team as Jack and Mac Quacker, Honker's older brothers who saddled him with the "ugly duckling" moniker. Wepplo doubles as Madeleine the Mole (a mole who, by the way, can't stand dirt) and Tyre doubles as Harry the Eagle. Harry also has a problem, which he keeps hidden under his hat. Gordon Bass rounds out the cast as the very agreeable patriarch, The Baron cum narrator, as well as the abominable and fearsome Snaggle-Claw the Alley Cat.

There is nothing here to frighten the littlest members of the audience, but at the same time there is enough to keep the older ones content, e.g., the metaphorical goal of "swimming in crystal clear waters." "The Ugly Duckling" is short and sweet (just about 50 minutes running time, without an intermission), delivers an easy to understand message of self esteem, and concludes by clearly reinforcing the moral of the story which is about the true meaning of happiness. Julinda Lewis is a dancer, teacher, and writer living in eastern Henrico County. She can be contacted at .