Advertisement

SKIP ADVERTISEMENT

Theater Review | 'Freckleface Strawberry the Musical'

An Ugly Duckling Gets Her Ginger Up Over Fitting In

Hayley Podschun, center, as Strawberry, in “Freckleface Strawberry the Musical.”Credit...Carol Rosegg

It’s hard to imagine that the actress Julianne Moore was ever an ugly duckling. And she wasn’t, exactly: she was a freckleface strawberry.

You learn this from Ms. Moore’s picture books about a spunky 7-year-old redhead who acquires that nickname from her teasing classmates. Now Rose Caiola and Gary Kupper have turned Ms. Moore’s first book, “Freckleface Strawberry,” into a 70-minute musical that teaches — no surprise — that everyone harbors self-doubt and that differences, like a peppering of freckles, add spice to the world.

But “Freckleface Strawberry the Musical,” like its subject, stands out: fast-moving and funny, it will entertain children much older than its heroine. Ms. Caiola and Mr. Kupper have leavened the story line’s sentimentality with comic scenes that expand the picture-book universe, like a dream sequence in which Strawberry’s insecurities literally haunt her. They include a ’30s-era gangster trio of dancing freckles, who frolic around her with huge red balloons, demanding to be friends: “We forgave you when you tried to rub us out.”

After Strawberry (the appealing Hayley Podschun) resorts to wearing a ski mask, her fellow students sing “Kid in the Mask,” a jazzy tune with old sci-fi sound effects, which speculates that this disguised intruder might be an alien. And the faculty eccentric (Linda Gabler) leads “Creative Minds,” a rollicking rap. (Mr. Kupper, who wrote the score and lyrics, is a man of many talents.)

What most distinguishes the show, however, is its refusal to ignore the unfunny aspects of Strawberry’s situation. She won’t accept adults’ soothing bromides — “I don’t want to be special,” she snaps — and she’s not above taunting others herself. When her friend Emily (Kimiko Glenn) belts out “I Like Danny,” Strawberry can’t resist kidding her. After talking to a gifted but lonely perfectionist in her ballet class (Jessica Bishop), Strawberry finally wonders what’s worse: having no friends or having lots of friends who tease you. (Andrew Cristi, Joey Haro and Mykal Kilgore complete the energetic ensemble cast.)

We know the answer to that. Directed by Buddy Crutchfield and choreographed by Gail Pennington Crutchfield (a married team), “Freckleface Strawberry” will remind many grown-ups of being awkward, unathletic, bad at math, fill in the blank. Yes, we did get through it, though probably with not quite as much good fortune as Julianne Moore.

“Freckleface Strawberry the Musical” continues at New World Stages, 340 West 50th Street, Clinton; (212) 239-6200, frecklefacethemusical.com.

A version of this article appears in print on  , Section C, Page 4 of the New York edition with the headline: An Ugly Duckling Gets Her Ginger Up Over Fitting In. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe

Advertisement

SKIP ADVERTISEMENT