Celesta Rimington, left, is the Little Red Hen; A.J. Nielsen, front, is Jack in the Beanstalk; Rob Hickman, rear, is Foxy Loxy; Corinne Timmins, front right, is Cinderella; and Aaron Gordon is the Stinky Cheese Man in "The Stinky Cheese Man" at the SCERA Center.
Keith Johnson, Deseret Morning News
OREM — Have you heard of the Stinky Cheese Man? If you haven't, your children or grandchildren most likely have. Children's book authors Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith have turned a handful of fairy tales inside out in their award-winning "The Stinky Cheese Man and other Fairly Stupid Tales."
As part of the Theatre for Young Audiences program, SCERA brings popular children's literature to life by presenting musical adaptations specifically geared for young children and their families. They will produce a stage version of Scieszka and Smith's Caldecott-award-winning book "The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales."
"It's such a fun piece. It's past quirky," said David Whitlock, director. "There are so many characters, and it's so spontaneous."
Some of the fairy tales that get turned inside out include "The Princess and the Bowling Ball," "Jack's Bean Problem," "The Other Frog Prince," "Little Red Running Shorts," "Chicken Licken," "Cinderumpelstiltskin" and "The Tortoise and the Hair."
"It's a book that children know. It's such a cute script," Whitlock said. "The book has 30 different tales. This story just bounces along but has a lot more substance intellectually for adults and children than other theater for children scripts. It's a good piece to make children's minds go."
Whitlock is also the set designer. He is adapting the art style from the book to create a "cute, little false proscenium" of which the actors can pop in and out.
"There are five characters that are the base of the book, and those characters each don costumes to tell other stories," Whitlock said. "The sets will be simple but offer the actors some cool entries and a place to change costumes right on stage."
SCERA began its Theatre for Young Audiences program three years ago to introduce children to the magic of live theatre and to help them become interested in the arts. The shows are usually only 60 minutes long to keep a young person's attention, and they are performed by a cast of adult actors.
If you go . . .
What: "The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales"
When: 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Mondays, Oct. 13-30; 2 p.m. matinee Saturdays
Where: SCERA Center for the Arts, 745 S. State, Orem, 225-2569
Cost: $6/$4 children, seniors and students
Phone: 225-2569
Web: www.scera.org
E-mail: pugmire@desnews.com
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