Let’s play a game of pretend. We’ll pretend it’s London, England in 1904 at Miss Minchin’s Select Seminary for Young Ladies… where only the most prestigious of young girls are sent to learn schooling and etiquette. Having fun playing along yet? That’s exactly what the almost all-female cast of A Little Princess is doing at St. Gabriel’s Miracle Players this November. Adapted from the book by Frances Hodgson Burnett, in special production arrangement with The Dramatist Publishing Company of Woodstock, Illinois, this adorable little tale of the haves and the have-nots is strikingly relevant to today’s society. Directed by Deb Carson, this little fairytale story shows that money doesn’t make you a good or even a nice person, being poor isn’t a crime, and that a friend is the best thing that you can have and that you can be.
The ostentatious academy that is the home of the girls in attendance at Miss Minchin’s Select Seminary for Young Ladies is assembled by a herculean team of “Set” people— John Wiggins, Deb Carson, Hugh Carson, Heather Moore, Scott Molony, Josiah Nusbaum, Heather D. Willis, Molly Laska, Seeley Moore, Bethany Jani, Sawyer Moore, and Ken Berry. It’s simple and elegant enough, with some ‘handcrafted details’ here there and everywhere… like the painted-on books that line the bookshelf and how they slant just slightly to the diagonal (let’s be honest, who doesn’t have slanting books at home on their shelves? Mine never stand up straight!) And there’s stairs that go off to the ‘upstairs’ of the academy and a few other homey touches that help the audience to suspend their disbelief and take that mental journey from present day St. Gabriel’s parish hall all the way across the pond and back in time.
Costuming is a trio’s effort— Ken Berry, Deb Carson, and Heidi Toll (along with members of the cast)— to draw the audience into a grand old time of yesteryore. The haughty, high-collared affairs seen on The Minchin Sisters, the odious and obstreperous individuals who are in charge of the seminary school, speak to the period of the times, while the school-girl uniforms featured on the young girls in attendance show the strict policies that rule such an academy. The titular character has fine dresses as well, even when her fate takes a turn for the worst the maid-blacks she ends up in look pristine. Shout out to Deb Carson and her delightful millinery-sourcing capabilities, which gives Kacy Conley’s character, Mrs. Barrows, a rather wfetching looking accessory for her head!
At times the show’s pacing could use a little push, or perhaps a swift kick in the derriere, but with so many budding young actors and actresses trying their hands at stage craft (some for the first time) it’s understandable if a line falls through or a scene trails on a bit like a sleepy teddy bear being dragged behind its youthful owner on their way upstairs to bed. Deb Carson does a fine job of having the older kids mentor and wrangle the younger ones, which reads as if it were written into the script that way as well. There’s some lovely lighting at play, by way of Bob & June Frank of SUNBRIGHT Productions, which draws focus to the attic turret that Sara and Becky occupy when they’re up there. Two of the more seasoned youth-teen actresses have even made the felicitous discovery of how to improv their way through a flubbed-line/scene in a way that feels natural to the show. This is an invaluable skill that will carry them far in their stage careers.
While the show is predominately about the children, there are some adults who populate the periphery of the performance. Jonny Akchin, who arrives only briefly in the second act, is actually well worth watching for the few moments that he has lines and stage time. He’s convivial, honest, and fits the bill for this bit-part character (a loving father…who ironically enough has at least two of his own munchkins in tow as his on-stage children!) Ken Berry plays Mr. Carrisford, who manages just a hint of that English accent, while poor Kacy Conley has the dreaded job of informing little Sara Crewe of the dreadful news of her father in her role as Mrs. Barrows. Ann Baden turns up in a street scene as Mrs. Perrens, but it’s Hugh Carson, pulling double duty— later as Mr. Lascar, a kindly, caring solicitor type— and firstly as Henri Thibault, the seminary’s French tutor, complete with outrageous French accent! The adults hold their own in this production, which is impressive, considering they are merely the framework designed to augment and highlight the young ladies of the stage.
The aforementioned Akchin children— Annie and Peter, who play Nora and Guy Lawrence respectively— are precocious and cute, particularly given this is Peter Akchin’s acting debut at the ripe young age of five years old! Nuella Mberile plays the eldest Michaels child divinely (doubling up as one of the rather nasty school girls who can’t help but pick on and tease Sara), but Peter and Annie’s real life sibling, Maggie Akchin plays the precocious and outspoken, temper-tantrum-throwing Lottie in quite a few scenes at the school. Maggie Akchin is a hoot to watch, especially when in mid-tantrum on the floor with her arms and legs flinging and flying and flailing about.
You have a whole gaggle of girls— Nuella Mberile, Annie Akchin, Carole Dine, and Sawyer Moore— playing all of the young ladies enrolled in Miss Minchin’s academy. Carole Dine plays Ermengarde St. John, who is sweet and in desperate need of a friend. Her character is constantly eating and she parades about the stage with a perpetual smile, even when she’s miserable, and finds a way to readily and earnestly ingratiate herself into Sara (aka The Little Princess’) friendship zone. Sawyer Moore plays the rotten, mean-spirited Lavinia, who is constantly stirring up trouble, being a bully with a capital ‘B’ and generally just nasty when it comes to tattling on Sara and the others. Together the group of girls, plus the aforementioned Maggie Akchin as Lottie, make for a rousing bunch… particular when Maggie Akchin starts blowing her party horn and stomping on Amelia Minchin’s foot!
While Hugh Carson’s French Tutor character may have had the outrageously overpronounced French accent, Bethany Jani’s Marie (who is the French Maid sent to the academy to attend little princess Sara) has a poised, collected, and decidedly poised faux French sound, which is delivered with crisp articulation. You see both Jani and Seeley Moore, who plays the servant girl Becky, being portrayed in positive lights with kindness and good spirits in an attempt to showcase that just because one is over a lower, working class, does not mean they are bad people. Seeley Moore, as Becky, is kind and considerate, compassionate, and understanding when it comes to poor Miss Sara’s tumble from grace, welcoming her into what little she has, tucked away in the rat-infested attic. The pair get along swimmingly and become fast friends, even when Sara still has her wealthy status.
While we’ve nearly covered all of the adults, and definitely all but one of the children, how could we get through a full report on A Little Princess and not mention the heinous, horrid, wretched, nasty, and vile Minchin sisters? Played by Molly Laska and Angelica Peaco (as Amelia, the sister, and Miss Minchin respectively) this pair of terrifying villains are lumbering nightmares incarnate! While Laska’s character, Amelia, is more the “yes-woman” of the pair, cowering at her sister’s ever order, she does eventually grow a spine and finally stands her ground. As a revolting terror on feet with no redeeming qualities, Peaco’s Miss Minchin deserves a good slap in the mouth. Stuffed full of herself and haughty beyond compare, Peaco has the audience, the girls, and everyone within a ten-mile radius hating the Miss Minchin character, which is perfectly appropriate as the fiend really and truly is the villain, not just the antagonist, in this story. Bombastic, loud-mouthed, and utterly unbearable, Peaco does a tremendous job of channeling the character’s natural distaste for children and her astronomical sense of self-importance into this caricature of a monstrous school marm.
As for the titular character, of the little princess, Sara Crewe (Elinor Bower), she is everything a proper princess should be. Sweet, kind, earnest, delightful of face and voice and moves gracefully, even when she’s been cast down as a servant on the street. Crewe does a remarkable job of holding her own posh British accent with great consistency all throughout the performance, but she is always kindly spoken, even when clapping back at the odiously feral Miss Minchin. Bower is perfect in the role, resonating and radiating a kind soul in every scene, even when she’s biting her tongue through clenched teeth and trying to cope with all of the unfortunate things that come her way.
A well-earned effort from a great many first-timers and some youngsters who are growing both a taste and talent for being on stage, St. Gabriel’s Miracle Players’ A Little Princess is a cute evening out and tells a very important story— a lesson we should all know but seems, especially as of late, is too easily forgotten— kindness is key in all walks of life.
Running Time: Approximately 90 minutes with one intermission
A Little Princess plays through November 13, 2022 with The Saint Gabriel Miracle Players— 6946 Dogwood Road in the Milford Mill neighborhood of Baltimore, MD. Tickets can be purchased at the door, by calling the box office at (410) 747-5626 or by purchasing them online.
