Cleveland Play House’s ‘Freaky Friday’ brings a bit of magic to the stage
Along with their collection of great drama and sparkling comedies, Cleveland Play House occasionally brings forth a musical that for many is the high point of the season. This is extremely evident in their current production of Disney’s Freaky Friday which will be on stage at the Allen Theatre through May 20, 2017.
Sixteen year old Ellie (Emma Hunton*) is a self absorbed teenager struggling with school, family and friends. She still longs for her father who passed away when she was young and was the only one in the world who truly understood her. She lives with her brother, Fletcher (Jake Heston Miller*) who communicates through two hand puppets and her mother, Katherine (Heidi Blickenstaff*) who is an overstressed career woman running a high end catering business.
As the story opens, it is the day before Katherine’s wedding to Mike (David Jennings*) whom Ellie is having difficulty accepting as her new father. Katherine is using the wedding to showcase her business with a reporter and photographer from a prominent bridal magazine covering all of the event in photos and prose including the rehearsal dinner that evening.
It is also the night of “The Hunt” in which teams from Katherine’s High School go into the city searching for scavenger items while following obscure clues put together by “The Hunt Master” Adam (Chris Ramirez*) who is the school hunk. Ellie wants nothing more than to win the contest with her two school friends and will try anything to get out of the house.
Ellie and Katherine get into an argument with the teenager wanting to go with her friends and her mother insisting she attend the rehearsal dinner. The two get in a tug of war over an antique hourglass that was a gift to Ellie from her dad. As the hourglass breaks in two a magic spell transforms Ellie into Katherine’s body and vice versa.
Realizing their predicament they decide to attempt to live each other’s life as if nothing strange has happened and they can locate the remaining twin hourglass that was sold just last week to an antique store. As each respective personage starts walking in each other’s shoes they begin to realize the challenges that the other faces on a daily basis.
During one musical number “Busted” the two uncover secrets about each other. Ellie has a hidden tattoo, Katherine smokes cigarettes and they are both addicted to Twinkies. At the height of tensions as the two switcheroos try to fake their way with friends and family, Fletcher runs away. Everything is suspended as family and friends try to find him. Eventually the family begins working together for the common good as a destroyed wedding cake gets replaced with seven layer cookies, the missing remaining antique hour glass is placed on the scavenger hunt list, Adam finds Fletcher and helps get him home and everything is set up for a happy and predictable Disney finale.
As for the cast, they are very comfortable in their roles having been together during an extended run when the show was staged at the La Jolla Playhouse in California earlier this year. In a word, this show is Broadway worthy and happily is in the intimate venue of the Allen Theatre with a run extending into late May and possibly beyond.
There are a number of delightful show stopping tunes that will bring a smile to everyone in the audience. On opening night there were quite a few of mother and daughter pairings in the audience but the show is one that the entire family will enjoy together.
The two main characters are played by Broadway veterans Emma Hunton and Heidi Blickenstaff who are very convincing in their switched roles and deliver some knockout musical numbers. Jake Heston Miller as Fletcher delivers a convincing performance taking the weird brother role to a higher level as we find that the puppets he uses to communicate with are actually part of a future act he is developing. His duet with Adam (Women and Sandwiches) is a delight. Chris Ramirez does a smart version of Adam, the school hunk and “Hunt Master” showing empathy throughout the show and during the number “Go” shows amazing dexterity on a Hoverboard as he wheels around the stage.
Special mention must also be made of the exceptional nine piece orchestra under the direction of Andrew Graham. It was not until the curtain calls that the scrim (a wall of gauze hiding the orchestra) was lit from behind revealing them behind the stage set.
Being a Disney show it is pretty much squeaky clean throughout and suitable for the entire family.
For those looking for a family safe and suitable show that entertains and delights, this is the one to see. With a well developed cast, functional sets, believable costuming and a number of dazzling song and dance numbers it is an evening of solid entertainment wrapped up in a nice moral tale with a happy ending.
Freaky Friday will be on stage in the Allen Theatre at Playhouse Square through May 20, 2017 with a possibility of added performances. Tickets can be purchased by calling (216) 241-6000, online at www.clevelandplayhouse.com or by stopping by the Playhouse Square Box Office located in the outer lobby of the State Theatre.
