Strap in folks, and get ready for Pageant Princess, The Musical - a live-action version of that reality show train wreak, Toddlers & Tiaras – only this show is set to music and the girls on the runway are a little taller than knee-high.  But fans of the controversial reality show which runs on TLC will recognize all the things that keep people burning up the chat rooms, wagging their fingers, shaking their heads and coming back for more every season.

There’s a lot that this show gets right – and as a (not so closeted) fan of Toddlers & Tiaras myself I went in hoping to find – and was rewarded with – all the ingredients that make up any good episode of the show.  There is the overly ambitious pageant mom who lives vicariously through her daughter now that she is no longer on the pageant circuit herself.  There’s the bratty child who is self-centered, conceited but – let’s face it – the strongest contender for the crown.  There’s the clueless dad who gets swept up into the game without really understanding all the rules, and his sugar-addicted child who joneses for candy in a way that we only hope is not a precursor to what will one day be a sad relationship with something much stronger.  There are the parents who force their tomboy into a dress because her twin got sick and they already paid for everything (room, dress, entry fee, flipper – watchers of the show know how the costs can mount into the thousands).  There’s the acknowledgement that all this is costing a bundle and the grand prize of $200 is a mere fraction of what it took to get there.  And of course orbiting the whole thing are the pageant coaches, host and judges who live so deeply in this world that the imprint of their own crown leaves a permanent trench in their hair-sprayed weave.  Yup, it’s all there.  But somehow I’m not sure  Pageant Princess, The Musical was ready to win Ultimate Grand Supreme, or even Mini-Grand Supreme this year.  Somehow the final package was just a little off.

When creating an homage it’s easy to toss in the ingredients that echo the original, but with the actual tv show already providing so much raw material to poke fun at it’s not easy to come up with more than a lot of one-dimensional characters who are simply retreads of what any random episode of T&T itself will already bring to the table.  Developing the show as a musical is a novel idea and allowed for several inspired moments (“New Dancin’ Shoes” performed by Staci [Lorelei Mackenzie] and Miss Louisa [Emily Billig] was a show stopper) but also invited several pitfalls.  Some songs such as “Packing Song” were nothing more than several minutes of repetitive lyrics that did little to move the plot along.

When Pageant Princess deviated from the T&T format it rose to the occasion and provided an opportunity to give the characters some complexity to explore.  The storyline of Max (Kristen Penner) was terrific – delving into the heartbreak of the never-seen “other” child – the sibling of the pageant child.  On any other day Max is playing baseball while her twin sister is doing the pageant circuit. Now that her sister’s illness forces her to step into a role she’s uncomfortable with, she’s afforded an opportunity to voice a very strong point (“Max’s Lament”) and highlight what these pageants do to the forgotten family members – something never explored on these reality shows.  Watching that relationship of “other” child and parents deepen and strengthen was probably one of the most rewarding of the show.  I would have liked to have seen this storyline extended in an effort to expand the overall impact and leave audiences with a resounding message.

Other highlights include Susanna Merrick who is fun as the candy addicted Donna Lou but whose role is too one-dimensional to give her much room to shine above the material.

Overall the show has some fun moments and, thanks to the very talented cast who each prove they have flair and ability there is a lot here to be enjoyed.  In the end, however, the scores just aren’t high enough to walk away with the big crown.

~~~

Pageant Princess, The Musical

Benefiting: Adam R. Spector Foundation
Produced by Violet Productions
Music by Joni Ernst
Book by Abigail Taylor
Book, Lyrics, and Music also by Lorelei Mackenzie & Kristen Penner

$18 General Admission
$9.00 for Film/Music Participants
FREE for Theatre Festivity Participants

Tuesday 6/5/12 – 7:00pm = Performance #1
Saturday 6/9/12 – 3:30pm = Performance #2
Sunday 6/10/12 – 1:30pm = Performance #3
Saturday 6/16/12 – 11:00am = Performance #4
Wednesday 6/20/12 – 4:30pm = Performance #5
Saturday 6/23/12 – 11:30am = Performance #6

90 minutes

At Bleecker Street Theatre (Upstairs)
45 Bleecker Street, New York, NY 10012
Conveniently located near:
Bleecker St (4 & 6)
Broadway – Lafayette St (B, D, F, M)
Prince St (N, R)

click here to purchase tickets

Related Posts:

• Pageant Princess, The Musical – 5 Things To Know About The Show Before You Go (2012 Planet Connections Festivity)
• The Taint Of Equality Or, I Want Your Sex (2012 Planet Connections Festivity)
• SAFE Is A Matter Of Perspective (2012 Planet Connections Festivity)
• Ye Elizabeths: Living Vicariously Because … (2012 Planet Connections Festivity)
• Deuteranomaly: A One-Act in Two Parts – 5 Things To Know About The Show Before You Go (2012 Planet Connections Festivity)

Pageant Princess, The Musical

Benefiting: Adam R. Spector Foundation
Produced by Violet Productions
Music by Joni Ernst
Book by Abigail Taylor
Book, Lyrics, and Music also by Lorelei Mackenzie & Kristen Penner

“At Little Miss Glamour and Glitz – Texas it’s what’s on the OUTSIDE that counts. Join three young aspiring pageant princesses and their off-beat families in their quest for the crown. Witness the magic, the mayhem and of course the glitter in this delightful romp into child pageants.”

Show Times:

• Tues 6/5/12 – 7:00pm
• Sat 6/9/12 – 3:30pm
• Sun 6/10/12 – 1:30pm
• Sat 6/16/12 – 11:00am
• Wed 6/20/12 – 4:30pm
• Sat 6/23/12 – 11:30am

Answers by Kristen Penner (Playwright)

Karen Tortora-Lee’s Question
How did you come up with the title for your show?

Kristen: We were watching the reality show “Toddlers and Tiaras” and laughing about how funny it would be to have a musical with these nutty parents and kids.  Lorelei, a writer and composer, said jokingly, “Yeah, and we could call it Pageant Princess The Musical.”  Suddenly we all stopped and stared at each other.  And that is how the show, along with the title, came into being.

Diánna Martin’s Question
If you were going to invite 5 people (from the past or present) to see your show – who would you invite … and why?

Kristen:
Stephen Sondheim because he is the inspiration for a lot of the music.
Michael Galanes, the host of Little Miss Perfect, because he was a big inspiration for the show itself.
Christopher Guest because he was not only an inspiration with his movies but is, in our humble opinion, absolutely brilliant.
Bette Midler, because her career is an inspiration to the struggling actor/writer/composer types…and she would be a great producer for this show!
Anyone who has ever been in the crazy world of pageantry because this show is dedicated to them.

Antonio Minino’s Question
What is the biggest sacrifice you’ve made for your art and was it worth it?
Kristen:  I don’t consider anything I do for my art a sacrifice because I love it so much.  The time spent composing and writing with the people closest to me is a gift, living in NYC is insane but there’s never a dull moment, and any other struggle that I have had or will have in the future is more fun than I would have doing anything else in the world.

Geoffrey Paddy Johnson’s Question
Was there any unexpected discovery made during the development of this production and can you share it with us?
Kristen: We learned how to use Finale (a computer program that supposedly transcribes your sheet music).  If anyone reading this ever has issues with Finale, give us a call because we went through 3 months of hell trying to learn it.
Michelle Augello-Page’s Question
What do you hope the audience receives from the experience of seeing this show?
Kristen:  I hope they laugh.  And I hope that they walk away feeling the same thing they would feel after watching a reality TV show: less screwed up.

___

Planet Connections runs from May 30 – June 24 at The Bleecker Street Theater located at 45 Bleecker Street, New York, NY. To purchase tickets to this or any of the shows click here.

Related Posts:

• Pageant Princess – Music, Make-Up And Meltdowns (2012 Planet Connections Festivity)
• Deuteranomaly: A One-Act in Two Parts – 5 Things To Know About The Show Before You Go (2012 Planet Connections Festivity)
• Bubby’s Shadow: Whose Shadow Is It? (2012 Planet Connections Festivity)
• The American Play (2012 Planet Connections Festivity)
• Scene/Unseen – 5 Things To Know About The Show Before You Go (2012 Planet Connections Festivity)