FHS theater brings holiday magic to stage with ‘Christmas Princess’
The cast of the “Christmas Princess,” in front are, left to right, Kennedy Dortch (Lucy), Salem Enos (Wakenda Watt, the witch), Hads Dennison (princess); middle row, from left, are Collin Olson (Allan), Cassiopeia (king), Gracyne Johsnon (queen), Ryan Tiet (prince Valiant/bear); and in back is Bethany Nairn (fool).
With lots of jokes, a big, scary bear who roars and an even bigger, scarier dragon who threatens to eat the princess, “The Christmas Princess” brings holiday magic to audiences of all ages.
The Flathead High School Theatre presents “The Christmas Princess” at 6:27 p.m. on Dec. 13 and 14 in the David M. Hashley Theater at Flathead High School.
Setting the scene for the play: It's Christmas Eve and the palace is in turmoil. Tomorrow is Christmas and the wedding day of the princess to the handsome but dim-witted prince Valiant. The drama of the play stems from the fact that the princess — equally spoiled and beautiful — doesn't want to marry a “stupid” prince. Desperate to find a way out of the royal nuptials, she seeks the advice of Wakenda the witch, who sends her on a quest to find three magical gifts that will allow her to escape her wedding. On her journey, the princess learns to use courage and wit to be her true self — which turns out to be where the real magic in her life lies.
“First and foremost, this show is a children's play. It has some hilarious moments of physical comedy and the jokes are innocent, but hilarious. There's a hoity-toity princess, a fool who is not very good at making people laugh, and a hilarious, silly prince,” said Liz Sykora, the show's director and acting instructor. “I hope the audience will take away the message to always be yourself. Sometimes we are put into society’s stereotypical boxes and in this show, each character defies those expectations.”
The play, written by Arthur M. Jolly, is a modern fairytale that blends elements of the well-known, western European fairy tales and the Japanese folklore style.
“The show runs less than an hour with no intermission,” said Sykora. “It is so fun and the perfect bedtime story for kids!”
Tickets are available at the FHS main office and Photo Video Plus in Kalispell; the price is $7 for adults and $5 for children, students and senior citizens. Any remaining tickets will be sold at the door.