Stagecrafters Youth Theatre presents 'The Trial of the Big Bad Wolf'

The Big Bad Wolf’s clever antics are on trial and it’s his day in court! Audience members will be asked to look at the classic “three little pigs” tale in a new way as Stagecrafters Youth Theatre presents The Trial of the Big Bad Wolf.  The fast-paced comedy runs Nov. 7-10 at the Baldwin Theatre, 415 S. Lafayette in downtown Royal Oak.

It’s the trial of the century in a fantasy world when the Big Bad Wolf, Wally (Paul Moore, Jr., of Southfield) has a lawsuit brought against him by none other than the three pigs, Barbara Sue Pig (Jessie Greatorex of Clarkston), Myrtle May Pig (Libby Bala of Royal Oak) and Amadeus Pig (Owen Perry of Royal Oak). Presiding over the trial is Judge Wise O. Al (Cole Skory of Lathrup Village) and the jury is made up of fellow fairy tale characters such as Mistress Mary (Gabrielle Solomon of Huntington Woods), Old King Cole (Max Morton of Royal Oak) and Little Red Riding Hood (Reese McClelland of Clawson). Both the Pigs and the Wolf get to reenact their version of the story and it’s up to the jury to decide who is at fault. Young families will enjoy the quick wit, colorful costumes and audience interaction. The show is sponsored by Ewe-nique Knits of Royal Oak.

Director Marsha Kline of Warren made the show audience-interactive by asking the audience to participate both verbally and physically. The audience is included in several dialogues and one child is even selected from the audience to help the characters on stage in one scene. “I decided to direct the show because I enjoy working with kids. I thought this would be a fun show with all of the nursery rhyme characters involved,” says Kline.

Kline was surprised by the number of cast members who were unfamiliar with some of the classic nursery rhymes. This influenced her decision to introduce several rhymes in a separate “meet the character” scene so that audience members would get to know the character associated with the rhyme.

The Trial of the Big Bad Wolf was written by Joseph Robinette in 1999. Robinette is a Tony Award nominee for the libretto A Christmas Story,The Musical. He is the author or co-author of more than 50 published plays and musicals.

Advance tickets for performances are $8 youth and $12 adult.  Tickets may be purchased online at www.stagecrafters.org or by phone at 248-541-6430 using Visa and MasterCard. All seats are reserved.  If shows have not sold out, tickets can be purchased at the box office one hour prior to the performance for an additional $2.00 per ticket. Advance purchase is highly recommended.

Show dates and times follow:

Thursday, Nov. 7 - 7 p.m.

Friday, Nov. 8 - 7 p.m.

Saturday, Nov. 9 - 3 p.m. and 7 p.m.

Sunday, Nov. 10 - 1 p.m.

Source: Stagecrafters