"Brothers Grimm Spectaculathon" by Don Zolidis was a sassy spoof of, and homage to, all 209 Grimm fairy tales. 43 characters were portrayed by 25 or so The Studio Performing Arts Center students. This witty mashup was a bit sophisticated for my 4 and 5 year old companions, but a hoot for older kids and adults. (Why doesn't Rapunzel's tower have stairs? My architect was drunk, the witch replies.) The script also sarcastically calls attention to the air-headedness of the trusting heroines who enter into agreements with questionable characters withOUT asking pertinent questions. A fun Hansel and Gretel bit involved audience sections chiming in with sound effects and advice, "Don't go in there!" Experienced actors Kaleel and Parker VanVoorhees brought energy, volume and various fun characterizations. Holden Santi, too, brought flair to The Devil, Prince 2, and the Talking Fish. My grandkids particularly enjoyed Rapunzel's (Danielle Holloway) vociferous, "Ow, ow, ow OOOWWW!!" whenever anyone climbed her hair.
PK was RIGHT about these directions. A detour keeps you from turning east onto Auditorium Rd. from Farm Lane, so I was wrong about that being "the easy approach." The Arena is in the basement of the Auditorium building on the Farm Lane side. Because of construction in the building, there is no handicapped access. Also, the East Lansing Art Fair will close down streets adjacent off of Grand River. So whether you come from east or west, you need to get to Bogue Street then turn west on Auditorium Rd. turn right, go to where road comes to a “t’ and is blocked (at Physics Rd.) turn right, and find the parking lot on left. Drive through the parking lot (at Physics Rd,) to the end of the lot near Farm Lane (directly across from the Auditorium Building) and walk across the lot to the theatre. The Physics parking lot is located on the north side of the Auditorium Building and directly across from the front of it. WhatEVer approach you take to "central MSU land" - allow extra time to follow detours and get a little more lost than usual.
ONE MORE SHOW 2 pm tomorrow, Saturday. The whole show, with intermission, will last about two hours, I'm guessing. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for children and can be purchased at the door prior to the show.