A ‘Beauty’ of a Show

“Kiss the girl now!” “Kiss her!”

It was the moment the crowd of grade-schoolers had been waiting for: At the Assistance League Playhouse one recent weekday afternoon, handsome Prince Alexander had just triumphed over the bad witch’s evil spells and was poised to awaken Sleeping Beauty with “the kiss of true love.”

Never mind that it was just a discreet suggestion of a kiss with no actual contact; the kids, who had so loudly clamored for it, covered their eyes while it occurred and groaned out a collective “ewwww,” until the enchanted princess stood and held her rescuer’s hand--at which point the applause and cheers were deafening.

“Enchanted Sleeping Beauty: The Legend of Princess Briar Rose” marks a high point for the Assistance League of Southern California’s Nine O’Clock Players. No, it’s not all smooth sledding for the all-women amateur children’s theater company. Some performances are just adequate, and playwright Vera Morris’ book, though a creative retelling of the tale, has static stretches. But the production, impeccably staged by professional theater and TV director Nick DeGruccio and sumptuously designed, is a definite crowd-pleaser: lively, tuneful and lovely to look at.

The costumes, by Carol Onofrio and Joyce McGilvray, are varied and vibrant, and set designer Larry Sousa’s festooned proscenium, rosy castle garden and dark witch’s lair, all built by Scenery West, look like pages from a delightful pop-up storybook. The show begins and ends on an elegant visual note, with the costumed actors posed motionless in the garden in a courtly tableau behind a delicate scrim. Lighting designer Matthew O’Donnell splendidly complements action and mood. And Christine Cooper, as Briar Rose, although not a strong singer here, is a storybook-pretty princess.

It would be just a look, however, without Bill Francoeur’s fully realized music and lyrics, which give the show flow, humor--adults will catch the sly “Cats” reference--and buoyancy. Francoeur brings things to life even after between-song exchanges that lack spark or polish. He’s well-served by director Tom Ameen, who provides assured live keyboard accompaniment and occasionally becomes part of the show, a nice comic touch.

These outstanding cast members contribute mightily, too: Judy Claverie as the minstrel, who begins and ends the tale with full, beautiful vocals; Jan Cobler, a blast as bad witch Evilina, a Broadway-style song-and-dance vamp who touts her own custom-made face powder and invites audience hisses and boos; and, most notably, Jodi Gilbert.

Gilbert does a remarkable job in the show’s trickiest role, Prince Alexander. An actress playing a romantic male lead in front of a bunch of kids has to be absolutely convincing to hold them; Gilbert’s casting is perfection.

Note to adults: If you take your children to the show, don’t clue them in as to Gilbert’s real gender. They may ascertain fairly quickly that King Rudolph (Tina Silberman) isn’t a fella, but Gilbert is so natural as the prince, in movement and in speech, that even older kids may not catch on.

BE THERE

“Enchanted Sleeping Beauty,” Assistance League Playhouse (Walter Lantz Magic Auditorium), 1367 N. St. Andrews Place, Hollywood, Saturdays-Sundays, 2 p.m. Ends April 2. $8. Running time: 60 minutes.