Tinkerbell Theatre October 13, 2012

For audiences age three and up, Frog and Peach Theatre Company, widely known for their popular and critically-acclaimed Upper West Side productions of Shakespearean plays, will present a fairy tale series, "Tinkerbell Theatre," adapting "Cinderella" (from the Brothers Grimm) and "The Tinderbox" (from Hans Christian Anderson) into Rocky-and-Bullwinkle style plays featuring sing-along songs and big, soft puppets. The plays, written and directed by Lynnea Benson, will be followed by puppet-making workshops to which all kids attending will be invited. The two plays will be presented in repertory October 13 to November 4 at West End Theater, 263 West 86th Street.

"Cinderella" (Saturdays at 11:30 am and Sundays at 12:30 pm) is a riotous new take on the familiar story of a young girl dispossessed by her murderous Stepmother and wicked Stepsisters. Her friendship with two magical birds (puppets) helps her go to the Three Day Ball, where she meets a socially awkward Prince Dreamboat with whom she plays Crazy Eights and compares notes on Ornithology. His parents, the King and Queen (also puppets) are eager to marry him off so they can return to Boca. Now, if only he were able to get that darned slipper to slip onto one of the girls in the kingdom, most of whom are so desperate to marry royally that they would whittle their feet for a fit!

"The Tinderbox" (Sundays at 11:30 pm and Saturdays at 12:30 pm) is a story of a pure-hearted soldier who finds happiness in an enchanted forest, where he overcomes the schemings of a Wicked Witch, befriends three unforgettable Dogs and wins a beautiful (but lonesome) Princess with the help of a magical Tinderbox that brings you whatever your heart desires...and hilarious results!

In both plays, the heroes are played by actors and the villains are played by soft, playful puppets. There are toe-tapping tunes by Ted Zurkowski, who is co-founder of Frog and Peach.

All puppets are by Spica Wobbe, an independent puppetry artist from Taiwan whose work has been prominent in the Voice 4 Vision Puppet Festival and works by Chinese Theatre Works, Creative Arts Team, Great Small Works, and Australian Aboriginal Theatre Initiative, among others. She received an MA. in Educational Theater from NYU and has been a teaching artist for New Victory Theater.

The actors include Kaitlin Large, Brando Boniver, Joseph Urick, Lynnea Benson, Alexandra Poncelet Del Sole and Jonathan Reed Wexler.

Set design is by Andy Estep; costume design by Asa Benally, lighting design is by Duane Pagano.

Lynnea Benson (Writer/Director), Artistic Director and co-founder of The Frog & Peach Theatre Co., has directed a number of projects there, including "Hamlet "starring Austin Pendleton, "King John" starring Academy Award nominee Catalina Sandino Merino and "As You Like It" starring Sidney Williams. She’s a member of The Actors Studio and attended Barnard College.

Frog and Peach Theatre Company helps dispell the “rocket science” myth of Shakespeare by bringing wildly entertaining productions of Shakespeare’s plays to general audiences. They don’t dumb down the texts or engage in stunt period stuff. (Wild West "Winter’s Tale"? Not for them.) They painstakingly craft the scripts to appeal to Shakespeare fans and Gen-Y alike. The co-founders of Frog and Peach strive to engender a love of theatre in those who may not otherwise get an opportunity to see a live show, and to whet young appetites for the classics.

Frog and Peach's "Tinkerbell Theatre" had its debut run November, 2009 to January, 2010 and a return engagement in May, 2010. Audience feedback testified that its "Rocky-and-Bullwinkle style" humor was relished by young and old alike. One Upper West Side mom who wrote in, "We absolutely loved 'Cinderella' and our three children, aged 7, 3 and 2, sat enraptured throughout. Even their jaded mothers found it funny!"

Tinkerbell Theatre will be presented October 13 to November 4 on the following schedule: "Cinderella" Saturdays at 11:30 am and Sundays at 12:30 pm; "The Tinderbox" Sundays at 11:30 pm and Saturdays at 12:30 pm. Tickets are $10 in advance online and $12 at the door. Available online at www.smarttixcom or by calling (212) 868-4444. Tickets may also be purchased in-person at the theater ½ hour prior to the performance. Running Time: 45 minutes. All performances are followed by a puppet-making workshop. (Please bring an old sock to make into a puppet, or you can purchase an optional puppet kit for $10.) The company's website is www.frogandpeachtheatre.org.

This family theater production will be performed in repertory at the West End Theater with Frog & Peach Theatre Company's fall show for general audiences, "The Taming of the Shrew," directed by Lynnea Benson, which sets Shakespeare's classic in a Felliniesque Padua of the 1950s in order to comment on the effect of social class and money today: how they affect love, both romantic and filial. Performances are October 11 to November 4. For complete information, see: www.jsnyc.com/season/shrew.htm.