A LITTLE PRINCESS Hills Youth Theatre Stirling Community Theatre Until 24 Jun 2012 Review by Nikki Gaertner Based on the 1905 novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett (and also adapted into the 1995 film of the same name), the script for “A Little Princess” was written by an ex-student and tutor of Hills Youth Theatre, Josh Sanders. It tells the story of Sara Crewe, born and raised in India, and daughter to a wealthy army Captain, who is later whisked away to be educated in a very different world – a London boarding school. While Sara’s luck unfortunately soon takes a turn for the worse, her spirit and imagination still shine through, and she’s determined to continue to inhabit the true behaviours of a ‘princess’ to everyone she meets. This show is a massive undertaking for Hills Youth Theatre, starring around one hundred children (!), most with speaking lines. Director Judy Sampson has done an amazing job of pulling this complex production together, and to keep the scenes flowing as well as they do. The script, however, does contain quite a bit of intricate dialogue and cues, making it difficult for a young and large cast to remember lines and keep up the pace necessary in a show of this length. With a running time of around three hours, some trimming of less necessary scenes may make things a little easier to handle for the both a young cast and children in the audience. This aside, the cast should be commended for their enthusiasm and evident hard work on the production. Even with some illnesses within the group on opening night, every member played their part (and sometimes multiple parts) to the fullest. Credit must be given to Ayisha Pauli in the role of ‘Young Sara’ – featured in Act I. This is a huge role, with most of the act being spent on stage, and Pauli easily took this in her stride, playing Sara with the perfect level of sweetness. Opposite her, Nick Robins as ‘Young Peter’ was also a standout in the cast, with a wonderful cockney accent. Their duet of ‘Alone’ (from Seussical) is a highlight of the first Act. Esme Fabry continues the story with a new level of maturity for Sara in Act II, along with Zachary Carter as the ‘Older Peter’. All of Miss Minchin’s girls are a delight to watch (with special mention to Betty Bird for their wonderful costumes). With the snooty Livinia (played by Emma Vanstone and then Georgia Nadebaum), flanked by offsiders Jesse (Zoe Muller/Ainslie Casbolt), Harriet (Jenna Kilgallon/Cordelia Mcpherson-Smith) and Elsbeth (Chloe Zodrow/Indigo Radbone), not to mention the sobbing Lottie (Ellie Bickerton/Indianna Calabro), life is never dull at the boarding house! Special mention however, must go to the excellent performances of the awkward Ermengarde by both Boudiccia McConnon and Zanny Edhouse, who both embodied their characters perfectly. As the harsh Miss Minchin and her softer sister Miss Amelia, Claire Sparrow and Emily McCormick do well, and despite some of the wordy lines proving a trap for Sparrow a few times, her rage and disdain for her pupils more than made up for the slips. With Sara’s vivid imagination, there’s plenty for the ensemble to do to – with some colourful performances (again assisted by costumes from Bird) from the ‘Underwater City Dream Scene’ cast, the performers in the Prologue, and the many Villagers the audience encounters. This production has a lot to offer, and will be a treat for fans of either the book or the movie. While the running time is long, and some of the songs and dialogue may be a little beyond the younger audience members, Sanders should still be commended for transforming this story for the stage. And well done to Hills Youth Theatre for bringing it to life.