The classic children's story about the fair maiden, the seven tiny men and the wicked queen will unfold on a live, outdoor stage in South Park during the next two weeks.
"Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs," the inaugural production for South Park Theatre's summer children's season, gives a perfect balance of the humor, joy, drama and fear that are part of the beloved classic tale, says director Sandy Hallett.
"It's real family-oriented," she says. "There's a little bit of everything. I try to meet everybody's interest levels.
"The dark queen is very dramatic," Hallett says. "But there's a fine line between scaring ... the kids, and them thinking the people onstage are in danger, but not the children in the audience. You don't want them to scream and leave."
South Park Theatre's "Snow White" follows much of the classic storyline, with a few changes that come from other versions of the European fairy tale -- which, over the years, became a Brothers Grimm story and, evenutally, a Disney story and movie. There are other objects besides the poison apple, for instance, involved in the quest to put Snow White to sleep. Also, the wicked queen is not Snow White's stepmother in this play, Hallett says.
In South Park's production, a person will play the role of the queen's famous mirror, to which she asks the question, "Mirror, mirror, on the wall -- who is the fairest fair of all?" The actor holds up a picture frame to depict the mirror.
Three maid characters, who are full of silly slapstick humor, like bumping into each other and falling, bring comic relief to the show, which lasts about 45 minutes, with an intermission. The characters will sing an occasional jingle to background music, but not the songs from the Disney movie.
The cast includes only one adult, who plays the queen. The rest of the characters, including the seven dwarfs, are played mostly by students in middle and high school, although some are as young as second-graders. At times, Hallett says, cast members come out into the audience area as they act out their roles, which children, especially, get a kick out of.
"I think (kids) are going to enjoy the maids because they're silly," she says. "I think they'll like the (performers) because so many of them are their age. They'll be able to say, 'Look, they're the same height as me.'"
Theater patrons can bring blankets and chairs and sit in an open, grassy area. Admission is $2, and refreshments cost a quarter each.
"It's probably the best bargain in town," Hallett says. She also wrote and will direct South Park Theatre's version of "The Little Mermaid," which will conclude the children's summer season Aug. 11-20. Additional Information:
'Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs'
When : Through June 25; 6:30 p.m. Mondays; 10 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. Tuesdays; 10 a.m. Wednesdays
Admission : $2
Where : South Park Theatre, at the intersection of Brownsville Road and Corrigan Drive, South Park
Details : 412-831-8552
South Park Theatre summer season:
'Stuart Little,' June 30-July 9
'The Jungle Book,' July 14-23
'The Tale of Peter Rabbit,' July 28-Aug. 6
'The Little Mermaid,' Aug. 11-20
