Enchanted Forest - an hour and a half of joyful insanity | Review

The Enchanted Forest Cabaret sets sail on another crazy adventure in its latest installment, “Naughty Pirates of Neverland.”

The show starts with Khadoma Colomby, as Princess Tiger Lilith, serenading the audience with a soulful rendition of Zendaya’s “Neverland.”

Then the party starts.

Set aboard Captain Hook’s infamous ship, the Jolly Roger, where there is singing, dancing, love and humor throughout the show’s entirety. It is filled with the same amount of rambunctious fun as previous years.

The set – built and designed by Chris Brems – replicates a seafaring vessel perfectly, with many audience members in awe of its construction. Director and creator Deborah Sparks’ musical selection has a variety of songs spanning many genres, with Kevin Colomby manning the sound booth during the production.

Longer John Silver, played by Kelly Toombs, starts the fun by leading the pirates in a cover of Big & Rich’s “Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy.” He is a uproarious contrast to Khadoma’s sultry tone, reminding the audience that Enchanted Forest is a trip to fun town and it’s taking them along for the ride.

Grace McCune, as leading lady Carmen, stretches her funny bone, especially when she sings “Natural Woman,” originally by Aretha Franklin. Stumbling onto the stage as the slightly intoxicated Captain Jack Sparrow is Jake Perrine, with movements one can only assume were inspired by Keith Richards.

Colleen Smith Armstrong wowed with two solo songs, a first for her in the cabaret. “Baby, Take a Bow,” originally performed by Shirley Temple, was purposefully nasally and saccharinely sweet. She changes her tune drastically to give a passionate, yet hilarious, rendition of Little Big Town’s “Girl Crush.”

Thirteen-year-old Alana Lago stunned the audience with her beautifully developing voice singing “The Little Birds,” by Bob Marley, and Katie Wlaysewski perfectly nails her version of Amy Winehouse’s “Rehab.” Stormy Hildreth recently returned to Orcas, excited to sing again in Enchanted Forest, to bring to life the classic song, “Moon River.”

Robert Hall portrays a flirtatious Captain Hook and makes everyone laugh and applaud with his performance of Frank Sinatra’s “My Way.”

Tinker Bell Barbie was played by the always uproarious Cali Bagby. For this show, Bagby got to show off her impressive operatic pipes, made even more remarkable by the fact she was singing from the inside of a box.

It wasn’t simply a showcase for outrageous characters with amazing voices, the show included dancing and singing as well. Jumping from a ladder and dangling on a rope, Aristotle Luna and Enzo Thixton displayed their acrobatic silk training skills. The dancing done by the actors was choreographed by Tiffany Loney, who also performed an elaborate tap dance alongside Katie Zwilling. Charles Dalton wowed the audience with a soulful modern dance.

The entire cast was fun, silly and all around enjoyable to watch. “Naughty Pirates of Neverland” is not to be missed.

There are still tickets available for 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 18, but hurry fast, they’ll soon be gone. Tickets are $17 for adults, $13 for students and $2 off for Orcas Center members. You can purchase them at orcascenter.org, or by calling 376-2281 ext 1, or by visiting the Orcas Center box office Wednesday,–Friday from 12–2 p.m. Subsidized tickets are available for $5 from the box office.

Cast

Carman – Grace McCune

Dr. Livingston & Jack Sparrow – Jake Perrine

Tiger Lilith – Khadoma Colomby

Tinker Bell Barbie – Cali Bagby

Hook – Robert Hall

Naughty Pirates – Colleen Armstrong, Amanda Sparks, Lanni Lago, Katie Wlaysewski,

Longer John Silver – Kelly Toombs

Pirates – Ed Lago, Diego Lago, Chuck Silva, Charles Dalton, Enzo Thixton and Aristotle Luna

The model who came along for the ride – Stormy Hildreth

Croc – Remy Lago

Mermaid – Linda Slone