The authors of
The Chronicles of Narnia
,
The Lord of the Rings
,
A Wrinkle in Time
and
Alice in Wonderland
all cite George MacDonald, who is considered a pioneer in fantasy literature, as a major influence.
Local community theater group The ABC Players will bring one of MacDonald’s fantasies to the Stuart’s Opera House stage Thursday with its adaptation of
The Princess and the Goblin
.
Celeste Parsons penned the play version, titled
The Princess and the Goblins
, about a decade ago because of her fondness for the book, which she said she read as a child and enjoyed.
Parsons, the director of the play, said she kept the Victorian English language of the original piece, which was published in 1872.
The story follows Princess Irene, who teams up with Curdie, a young miner, to save the kingdom from the evil goblins with the power of love, magical thread and song.
Tatum Lovsey, 12, plays Princess Irene and said she is excited to do her first “more professional” production and that she enjoys being her character.
“It’s interesting to be a princess and a heroine at the same time,” she said. “She’s a princess but she’s also very brave. … It’s a really fun and good experience.”
As antagonists to Lovsey’s protagonist, the goblins are grotesque beings that live underground and detest the sun and song. It will be up to Dharma Pook, a first-year student at the Tri-County Career Center cosmetology school in Nelsonville, and her team to make these goblins ugly.
“We’re doing a lot of distortion with the makeup: big noses, big, sunken eyes with big ugly hair,” said Pook, head of makeup and hair for the play. “For the goblins, uglier is better.”
Pook’s interest in doing hair and makeup in the theater prompted The ABC Players to team up with the Tri-County Career Center after she contacted the troupe to look for opportunities to gain experience in the field.
Parsons said she hopes the collaboration will continue for future shows.
“There were a number of times when we can use a little extra something with the face or hair,” Parsons said. “It’s a wonderful thing to draw other members of the community into the activities of a theater group because that’s one way we can expand the whole notion of community theater and live theater.
mg986611@ohiou.edu
@buzzlightmeryl
IYGB:
What: The ABC Players present
The Princess and the Goblins
When: 8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday
Where: Stuart’s Opera House, 52 Public Square, Nelsonville
Admission: $7 student tickets; $10 in advance; $12 at the door
