Talented cast makes Honk a success
Drayton caps season with a musical take of the classic ugly duckling story
ST. JACOBS — The story of the ugly duckling is so rife with possible conversation starters with kids, it almost takes away from the musical fun on stage at Drayton’s “Honk” which opened Friday at St. Jacobs Country Playhouse.
This fairy tale was penned by 19th century Danish author, Hans Christian Andersen who, perhaps in his time saw this as a story of a wee one being bullied by the entire barnyard for being different.
As it becomes obvious that he is actually a swan, suddenly his beauty wins everyone over.
Made sense for the times, but today’s parents can use this story as a lesson on human shallowness: the ugly duckling had no redeeming qualities in everyone’s eyes until he became beautiful.
There are also issues of bullying and such a show is a perfect launching point for such important conversations.
All that being said, this is a good show though with not as many laughs as other children’s musicals.
As in many fairy tales, this story has its share of darker themes such as when a flock of earnest geese decide to help Ugly, as he’s known, find his mother and end up being shot by hunters. There is also a rather suggestive scene between the Tomcat and a bored female house cat.
While the music is good, it’s mostly forgettable and with so much singing, this is not a show for restless young children.
All that being said, “Honk” is successful because of an excellent cast.
Ugly is played by Nathan Carroll who made his astounding debut on the Drayton stage as Terry Fox last year in “Marathon of Hope.” Carroll does Ugly justice.
The little duckling/cygnet is the last in his mother’s clutch to break out of the egg which is double the size of his siblings.
When Ugly finally hatches he is confused as to why he is being treated badly by everyone except his mother. Even his father makes fun of the duckling.
Ugly tries his best to fit in and Carroll is particularly moving when he tries to quack like a duck, but instead lets loose a crazy honk.
Much of the story takes place after Ugly naively goes off with the Tomcat, played superbly by a lithe and menacing, Kyle Blair. He’s an actor you can’t take your eyes off, he’s that good.
Tom of course plans to have Ugly over for lunch and he’s the main course. Ugly manages a clean escape only to get lost.
Frantic with worry, his mother Ida, played by the always silky voiced Susan Gilmour, leaves her brood to the care of her selfish and incapable husband Drake, played by Larry Mannell as she goes off in search of her son.
Ugly encounters many characters on his adventure, including the house cat Queenie, played by Margaret Thompson and her pal, a chicken played by Kayla James.
The two have an idyllic if boring life of domesticity and they’re not quite sure what to do with this intruder. Thompson and James are deliciously good in these roles.
As in most Drayton musicals requiring a large ensemble, children from local dance schools make up 14-member teams who dance and sing their little hearts out.
The kids are not only adorable, they are really good.
One scene with the geese squadron has all the kids standing in straight lines waving airport runway flashlights in a perfectly choreographed pattern.
It’s quite mesmerizing.
Mannell also plays the goose squadron leader, Greylag, a slightly dotty but very proper British commander and he’s hilarious.
Costuming only hints as to the animal the actors are portraying but Aaron Walpole as the turkey has mastered a very funny gobble and as the bullfrog, he manages to screw his face so he actually looks like a frog.
Overall this is a well done production, choreographed and directed by David Connolly and there is enough talent on stage to make this a fun evening out.