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Regional Reviews: Phoenix Once Upon a One More Time: High School Version
The musical, with a book by Jon Hartmere, premiered in Washington D.C. in 2021 and moved to Broadway in 2023. While the New York run only lasted a few months, it's a vastly entertaining musical that uses songs Spears recorded to explore ideas of independence, identity, and female empowerment. The fairy-tale setting provides an amusing framework for examining outdated expectations and the importance of having the freedom to determine your own future. The plot is set in the land of happy ever after and centers on Cinderella, Snow White, and a collection of familiar fairy-tale princesses who are always on call to reenact their famous stories whenever a reader opens a book that tells their tale. The constant repetition of these stories starts to drain on Cinderella, whose understanding of the world changes when O.F.G. (original fairy godmother) introduces her to Betty Friedan's "The Feminine Mystique." Cinderella shares this knowledge with her fellow princesses when they gather for their regular book club, where they have always read the same collection of Grimms' fairy tales that tell their well-known stories. As the women begin questioning the roles they have been assigned in their stories, they decide that perhaps happily ever after should mean something more than finding a prince and getting married. Riley Gerkin makes Cinderella an appealing combination of sweetness and determination. When Cinderella begins questioning the story she has been forced to repeat, Gerkin gives the character an engaging emotional journey while also handling Spears' songs with considerable vocal strength. Jacquelyn Fuchs is equally terrific as Snow White, bringing an exuberant personality and power to a character who discovers that being a princess does not have to mean simply waiting for someone else to rescue her. Rob Foley is fun and appropriately charming, with good comic timing, as the deliberately ridiculous Prince Charming, while Hallie Merrill brings warmth, power, and strong comic energy to O.F.G. Sebastian Girodroux is wonderfully eccentric as the Narrator, whose attempts to maintain control over the fairy-tale universe become increasingly amusing. Riley-Elaihne Howell has fantastic stage presence as Cinderella's deliciously domineering Stepmother, with Ella Silver and Maggie Chandler providing amble support as her mostly clueless daughters. Archie Vap and Samuel Roalofs deliver sweet performances as Prince Erudite and one of Snow White's dwarves, Clumsy, respectively, and the ensemble create an energetic ensemble as the supporting princesses and princes. Angelica Howland's direction keeps the pace brisk while ensuring the important messages and themes in the show aren't short changed. The choreography by Taylor Penn turns the Spears songs into elaborate production numbers that capture the spirit of a pop concert and are well danced by the large cast. Celia Erickson's costumes are colorful and creative while tying into the well-known images of these familiar fairy-tale characters. The music Mary Ellen Loose's music direction delivers some lovely harmonies. On opening night there were some issues with the microphones and the sound, so some lines of dialogue and lyrics weren't heard or clear. Hartmere's book features some great and witty lines so hopefully this issue will be resolved for the rest of the run. Once Upon a One More Time may not reinvent either the jukebox musical or the fairy tale, but it combines those familiar elements into an entertaining and energetic stage show. Its message about questioning expectations and taking control of your own story gives the non-stop parade of familiar pop tunes some genuine substance. With a fun cast, lively choreography, and a catalog of irresistibly catchy Britney Spears songs, Greasepaint's production is a feel-good show that delivers plenty of fun while encouraging audiences to write their own happily ever after. Once Upon a One More Time: High School Version runs through September 20, 2026, at Greasepaint Youth Theatre, 7020 E. 2nd Street, Scottsdale AZ. For tickets and information, please call 480-949-7529 or visit www.greasepaint.org. Directed by Angelica Howland Cast: |
