Photo courtesy of J. Stubbs Photography (https://jstubbsphotographyvb.com/)

The Little Theatre of Norfolk is in the midst of a marketing blitz for their 100^th season – beginning with the musical “Between the Lines”.  For anything to last one hundred years is quite a feat, but especially for a non-profit, who must find passionate individuals time and again to continue handing the baton to.  I have to say, however – I did the math this morning (meaning, I did some addition) and this is actually our 102^nd review here at the HRACT Awards.  Not trying to directly compare or anything, but 102 is a bigger number than 100…

In all seriousness, we were excited to enter the David L. Burton playhouse to see the first show of the triple digit term, and as the curtain opens, we are greeted by a veritable booklover’s paradise.  A huge bookshelf chock full of painted-on books stands before the audience (which must have been quite the task for two-time HRACT Award nominee set designer Kerri Crosby and her team), as well as one massive volume bearing the eponymous title.  That huge bookshelf, by the way, becomes a tiered platform with a simple yet nifty pull-out drawer situation, providing a window-and-roof set – a necessary plot driver later, with the window and bed set looking like it was pulled right out of “Peter Pan”. 

Our fairy tale is led by high school junior Delilah, who is looking for an escape from her reality of recently divorced parents and a resulting move to a new school.  Bringing her bright singing voice and angsty teenage acting to the role is Unyq Maeshel Pugh, a newcomer to the community theatre scene.  Little does Delilah know that her world is about to get a little more magical, as when she opens the children’s fairy tale book that she has recently become obsessed with, one of the characters starts talking to her – and not just in a “this book speaks to me” sort of way.  That character is Prince Oliver, and Adonis Bastin (who plays the role) gets a bit of a work out, jumping on- and off-stage as Delilah snaps the book shut (and open again) as she tests her sanity.  Prince Oliver is portrayed as the perfect boyfriend – interested in what Delilah has to say, a fun flirt, and attractive to boot – after all, he says, “it’s how I was written”.  Bastin gets the lovesick puppy part of the role just right, as he falls hard for Delilah immediately, and their duets are filled with tight harmonies and cute peeks at each other. 

(A word regarding the plot for clarity’s sake here – most actors in the show play two roles – one in the “real world” of Delilah, and another in the “book world” of characters who apparently have a Toy Story-esque autonomy when they are not being required to play their written roles in the book.  It’s a fun plot device to have – a fan fiction writer’s dream – and it seems that Prince Oliver’s ability to break the boundary between the two worlds is unique and new.  Back to it now…)

Prince Oliver, however, is not the only lovesick puppy on stage – that title more appropriately belongs to one of the other book characters who has sprung to life, the half-human-half-dog Frump, played by Jaxon Arthur.  Frump is head-over-heels in love with the Princess Seraphima, his written character be damned – and Arthur proves it with an unexpected and delightful tap number late in the second act.  Seraphima is played by Andreyah Perry, who also is the exceedingly mean Allie McAndrews back in the real world.  Perry is funny as the completely oblivious and foolish Seraphima, and dials up the cruelty as Allie, a character with no redeeming qualities. 

Most of the actors who play two characters in both worlds have similarities between their roles (at least, in how Delilah is interpreting them).  Take, for example, Melina Llames, who plays the outcast-but-confident-and-cool Jules in the real world, and a strong-and-independent-minded mermaid in the fairy tale (and leads one of our favorite songs of the night, the girl group Motown-stylized “Do It For You”).  Or, Isabell Carden’s Lady-in-Waiting versus her librarian Ms. Winx, who seems content with her lot in life, forever lusting after that famous “Pride and Prejudice” protagonist, expressing her feelings hilariously in the well-performed “Mr. Darcy and Me”.  Or even Eileen Byrne (an excellent singer in her own right) as Delilah’s mom Grace, who is trying to keep the household functioning but has become so distracted as to lose sight of what her daughter really needs, paired with Byrne as the always-knee-deep-in-wine Queen Maureen.  The exception to this rule seems to be Brody Akers’ Dr. Ducharme (a Ben Stein-style school psychiatrist) and Rapskullio (the bad guy in the book whose actual desire is just to prance through life, catching and painting – and reviving – butterflies), a funny contrast that Akers pulls off nicely.

Our favorite moments of this show are when it leans into the kitschy nature of bringing a fairy tale to life.  When all the fairy tale characters are onstage, interacting with each other, it in some ways feels like an improv show where each actor has been given a two sentence personality, and we are just seeing where it goes.  But ultimately, “Between the Lines” is a love letter to books and the mental escape they can bring – sometimes you’ve just got to sit back, relax, and let the story take you away.

(New this season, our wonderful cat Pepper wanted her voice heard as well, if you all will oblige her…)

Pepper’s Purr-fect Picks: I enjoy rubbing my head against books, although as a cat, I get a lot more out of TV.  And the dog could have just as easily been a cat instead.  One paw up!

(Pepper also canonically sells concessions at the various community theaters.  She always comes up with a themed drink special, which is for entertainment purposes only and notably IS NOT in fact available for purchase)

Pepper’s Drink Special: “The Page Turner” – a macchiato with rainbow sprinkles on the whipped cream.  (Pepper thinks coffee is a very smart beverage.)