by Lauren Silverman Durban
We live in a time when the world can seem pretty bleak, and most things operate in infinite shades of gray.
Fortunately, Pinkalicious doesn’t live in our world. In the cotton candy-flavored production that opened last night at the Lincoln Community Playhouse, the only color that matters is pink, every problem is quickly resolved, and gray never even enters into the equation. The toughest problem faced is whether to have another cupcake– and that’s exactly how it should be. Pinkalicious is pure escapist entertainment, in a time when most of us could use some.
For those unfamiliar with the popular childrens’ books of the same name, Pinkalicious is the story of a little girl (named Pinkalicious) obsessed with the color pink. Her favorite food is pink cupcakes, which she insists on eating even after her parents tell her to stop. When Pinkalicious falls asleep after indulging in one too many, she has dreams of dancing cupcakes, and awakes the next morning to discover that she has turned entirely pink. Her parents and brother set out to find a cure, and along the way encounter a dancing doctor, a loyal best friend, and assorted singing insects. As it turns out, the only solution to Pinkalicious’s dilemma is a worst-case scenario– she has to eat green food.
Leading this impossibly fresh-faced cast as Pinkalicious, Harper Davis is bouncy and precocious. Joshua Delfose is the perfect counterpoint as her often-overshadowed brother Peter (he wasn’t even given a name as interesting as his sister’s!), who is awaiting his moment in the (pink) spotlight. Kaia Anderson is lovely as Pinkalicious’s harried mother, and Alex Rownd gets plenty of laughs as her dad. They get fine support from Zach Stevens as an enthusiastic doctor, Jane-Grace Delfosse as Pinkalicious’s best friend, and Madison Johnson, Riley Minster, Evelyn Placek, and Allie Works as those dancing cupcakes and singing insects. They all inhabit a beautiful, candy-colored world created by scenic designer Douglas Clarke (wait until you see the flowers!). Directed by Molly Gilmartin, musical direction by Arica Worsham, choreography by Amanda Loomis.
Pinkalicious isn’t going to challenge your outlook on the world, not does it want to. It won’t teach you any profound lessons, other than you should maybe think about getting some more vegetables in your diet and that boys love pink too. What it will do is make you smile for an hour, which is no small thing. As delivered by this enthusiastic, energetic young cast, Pinkalicious makes for a perfect escape into a rose-colored reality.
If you go: Pinkalicious runs through March 10th at Lincoln Community Playhouse, located at 2500 South 56th Street, with Friday and Saturday evening shows at 7:30 pm and Sunday matinees at 2 pm. Tickets are available online, at the Playhouse box office, or by calling (402) 489-7529.
Lauren Silverman Durban is host of ‘JP and Lauren Mornings with Husker Nick’ on KX 96.9. She is a freelance writer, a mother of 4, and can frequently be seen performing on Lincoln stages. If you want to have a really geeky conversation about anything theater, she’s your gal.
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