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Middle School Stages Non-Disney ‘Snow White’
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The Evil Queen, played by Kate Tigert, gloats over the magic potion she brewed in the Cardozo Middle School production of Snow White. The mixture was to eliminate Snow White as the fairest, most beautiful in the kingdom, but the Queen’s efforts met mixed results. The show was staged on Friday and Saturday, Feb. 1 and 2, in the multipurpose room on campus.
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Snow White, played by Scarlett Freshwater, is forced to clean for the Evil Queen in Cardozo Middle School's Drama Club’s production of Snow White over the weekend. Written by Tim Kelly, it’s not exactly the Disney version of the story, but contains many of its familiar elements. The cast of characters included 18 actors, and was staged in the school’s multipurpose room.
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The Prince attempts to help Snow White, center, surrounded by the seven dwarves, as part of the Cardozo Middle School Drama Club staging of Snow White. The story was definitely on its way to ‘happily ever after’ as the Prince, played by Christian Pineda, prepares to bring Snow White, played by Scarlett Freshwater, back to consciousness.

The Drama Club of Cardozo Middle School staged a different version of a familiar Brothers Grimm story, complete with dwarves, enchanted forest animals, an Evil Queen and young princess.

Snow White was performed on the stage in the school’s multi-purpose room on Friday, Feb. 1 and Saturday, Feb. 2.

But it wasn’t the familiar Disney version. This adaptation was from playwright Tim Kelly, a prolific author and journalist. It contained most of the familiar references.

All the old friends were there — the lovely Princess, played by Scarlett Freshwater, the mischievous Dwarfs, all seven of them, but with different names. The Prince was there, played by Christian Pineda, the Huntsman, played by Navjyot Narula, and, of course, the Evil Queen, played by Kate Tigert.

In addition, there were the hilarious palace Cat, played by Riley Thacker, and the Enchanted Vixen, played by Ella Holliday. In this version, the Magic Mirror not only talks — it walks, and was played by Leigh Viera.

Of course, the audience shivered and shook as the scheming Queen transformed herself into various personalities like Esmeralda, the young gypsy, and a withered crone so horrible even the Queen herself was terrified. Don’t forget that poisonous apple that was waiting for the heroine.

An interesting feature of this Cardozo production was the transitions between the three different incarnations of the Evil Queen throughout the evening.

She started out portrayed in her evilness by Kate Tigert. As she plots to do in Snow White, she transforms into a young girl, Esmerelda, who was played by Elin Medina. After changing back, she becomes an Evil Crone, played by Regan Davidson.

Another interesting bit of staging was the scene where Prince Robert revives Snow White, who has been poisoned by the Evil Crone’s apple. A tricky bit of sleight of hand kept the audience from seeing if the prince and Snow White actually kissed, with the prince hiding behind his cap. It was, after all, a Middle School production.

 

Prolific Playwright

According to his representatives, Dramatic Publishing, in Woodstock, Illinois, Tim Kelly (1931-1998) was “one of our finest and most prolific” playwrights.

Information from the publicist goes on to say: “His first stage mystery was published in the 1960s—at the same time he had plays opening in Boston, New York and Hamburg. Since then, he kept up a steady flow of works for stage and screen stage, including adaptations of M*A*S*H and Murder by Natural Causes.”

During his life, Kelly received countless honors for his playwriting including seven major university awards as well as grants from the Office of Advanced Drama Research, the National Endowment for the Arts, the American Broadcasting Company and the Nederlander Production Company.

A former screen and television writer, drama critic and journalist, Kelly is particularly noted for the broad scope of his work which covers everything from mysteries to musicals to serious drama.

In 1995, Tim Kelly was elected a member of The College of Fellows of the American Theatre. He died suddenly in 1998, of a brain hemorrhage, at the age of 61, his publishers note, and while his presence is missed, his memory lives on in the many plays that continue to have great success.