Jeremy Littlejohn, Emily Winn, Jenny Winn, and Croix Baker in Pinkalicious: The Musical
Move over Barbie: There’s a new pink gal in town.
Thanks to the theatre and director Brad Hauskins, Pinkalicious Pinkerton has made her way to the Circa ‘21 Dinner Playhouse for her on-stage musical, one aptly titled Pinkalicious: The Musical. If you’re unfamiliar with the picture books by Victoria and Elizabeth Kann or the subsequent PBS cartoons, let me tell you: Pinkalicious loves, loves, loves the color pink, and this stage production follows the first of her stories where she eats one too many pink cupcakes and wakes up having turned pink. As any young girl might be, our heroine is delighted by her new hue – though her parents are slightly less so.
On the Circa '21 stage, the titular Pinkalicious is played by an upbeat Emily Winn. Costume designer Bradley Robert Jensen has taken care costuming Winn so she’s a celebration of all things pink and reminiscent of the character people already know and love. Winn, however, brings her own spin to the character and is quite lovable. I'll admit that I find the television show’s Pinkalicious a tad annoying, yet Winn is anything but. The performer's lovely smile and vocals made the character sweetly endearing, rather than grating.
Yet it was Croix Baker as Pinkalicious' brother Peter who stole the show for me. With his buttery strong vocals and ability to roll with the punches of being stuck as an afterthought to both of his parents, Baker’s commitment to the role was phenomenal ... though one of his socks was perpetually around his ankles while the other one was pulled up, and I didn’t really understand that choice. The fantastic Jeremy Littlejohn, as Mr. Pinkerton, brought a lot of life to the stage with his hilarious overreactions (and a secret of his own). Balancing out the Pinkerton family was Jenny Winn, Emily’s real-life mom, as Mrs. Pinkerton. This mother/daughter duo’s clear chemistry made some moments even more endearing, especially when Mrs. Pinkerton was tucking Pinkalicious in at bedtime.
Hauskins doubled as his musical's scenic designer and did a great job mimicking the Kanns' familiar illustration style, while not going overboard with just how much pink was on stage. In a show where everything is pink-tastic, it would've been all too easy to simply have everything splashed in shades of the color. Luckily for everyone, though, Hauskins’ chosen hues balanced out evenly.
Other characters include Pinkalicious’s best friend Alison, portrayed by a delightful Krishna Walljasper. The first time she’s on stage involves a telephone call that certainly made me laugh, and the second time we see Alison, she throws out the ultra-serious “You’re not coming to my birthday party!” threat. All throughout Pinkalicious, I appreciated the show's consistency in making me laugh, as well as all the humor that isn’t necessarily geared towards the preschool set. After Pinkalicious wakes up fully pink, she’s taken to Taylor Fryza’s cheerful, kind Dr. Wink for a diagnosis. It’s a shame that more diagnoses aren’t made via song and tap dance. Then again, most people don’t turn their favorite color with a serious case of “pinkatitis” after eating too many cupcakes.
Although music director Shelley Walljasper made sure everyone sounded their best, the score by John Gregor, Elizabeth Kann, and Victoria Kann was fairly forgettable overall. Each song drove the point home, but I’m not eager to listen to any of them again. Because Circa '21's children’s-show programs don’t tell us the song titles, some Internet sleuthing tells me that “Buzz Off” is what I felt was the show's standout number, delivered when a perfectly pink Pinkalicious is mistaken as a flower by a series of puppets mastered by fellow castmates. This was a really cute on-stage moment, allowing the cast to showcase their excellent vocals.
Hauskins' direction includes plenty of audience interaction, which might be off-putting for the grown-ups in attendance, but everyone under the age of 10 seemed to wholly welcome it on Saturday afternoon. I especially enjoyed listening to some kids chime in with their own opinions. Particularly funny was when Mrs. Pinkerton asked where the cupcakes were and a kid shouted out, “They’re on the table!” (The cupcakes were, in fact, in plain sight.) Circa '21 does a particularly excellent job with their children’s shows, making the space inviting and setting positive expectations in the pre-show announcements. There were more than a few hands in the air saying that it was their first show at the venue, and I’m willing to bet those folks had a good-enough time that they’ll likely return again soon.
Ss the Pinkerton family set out to cure Pinkalicious of her malady by eating only green foods, some of their concoctions sounded fairly gross, making for some particularly funny moments for the kids, as well as relatable ones for we adults. And in general, that’s where this production excels: in crafting a fun hour for everyone in attendance. There’s truly a little something for everyone here, and even if pink isn’t your very favorite color, you’ll be tickled pink by the magic that Pinkalicious: The Musical brings to the stage.
Pinkalicious: The Musical runs at the Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse (1828 Third Avenue, Rock Island IL) through August 10, and more information and tickets are available by calling (309)786-7733 extension 2 and visiting Circa21.com.
