Starring Fred Grades, Will B. Able, Marcie Stringer, and Robert Dagny
Directed by Nick Havinga
Music by Jim Eiler; Lyrics by Jeanne Bargy
We stay in television, but jump ahead a decade for another hilarious children's musical from the Prince Street Players. This time, we trade the fantasy for a slightly more realistic story from Hans Christian Anderson about two con-men who teach a clothes-obsessed ruler that there's more to life than looking the part. How does this one compared to the previous two specials from the troupe? We begin with Chester the Jester (Grades), who explains his place in the court and what we're about to see, and find out...
The Story: As Queen Carlotta the Least (Stringer) explains to her husband Emperor Maximilian the Most (Able), their kingdom is so broke, Carlotta took up trumpet to announce herself. Between Sinister the Prime Minster (Dagny) skimming money off their reserves and the Emperor's lavish spending, they barely have the money to pay anyone. The Emperor, however, must have new clothes. Carlotta claims she'll sell her jewels to hire new tailors to make him something spectacular.
They end up with Mr. Stitch (Alan Klass) and Mr. Sew (Don Potter), swindlers who claim to be tailors. They've made an invisible cloth that can only be seen by someone intelligent. No one in the kingdom, including the Emperor, will admit to not having seen the cloth. Chester has fallen for the scullery maid Verity (Victoria Mallory), who owns a pair of glasses that can reveal the truth when one looks through them. Not only do they give away the swindlers' plot, but they reveal the truth about Sinister...and Chester too, who looks an awful lot like the prince who was stolen as an infant.
The Song and Dance: Oh boy, is this one fun. This time, the costumes and sets are a riot of color and a bit more lavish, as per the story of a free-spending ruler. Stanger by far steals the show as the hilarious Carlotta, who has no trouble doing things for herself and sees through deception a lot quicker than her doddering husband. Mallory and Grades make a charming couple as well in their sweet ballads, while Klass and Potter have their own fun as the Abbott and Costello-like con men. The big chorus numbers really stand out here, with Carlotta's "You Gotta Blow Your Own Trumpet" a show-stopper.
The Numbers: We open with "I'm Chester the Jester" introducing himself and showing how he has to make everyone in the court laugh. Carlotta, who has taken over for the royal trumpeter, insists that "You've Gotta Blow Your Own Trumpet" and do what needs to be done yourself. Sinister and the chorus announce that "The Emperor Needs New Clothes" when he insists that the ones he has simply won't do for the royal procession the next day. The pages announce "The Royal Proclamation," which the con-men hear. They become "Stitch and Sew" to pull the wool over the eyes of the court.
Verity wonders what would happen "If I Could Be a Princess" as she and Chester look through the glasses and see themselves as they really are. They reprise it after Stitch and Sew leave, and they suspect they're up to no good. The courtiers are excited the next morning about how "They're Making Invisible Clothes." Stich and Sew say "Behold the Clothes" for Carlotta, who thinks the whole thing is a load of hogwash. They reprise this with the court later that morning before the procession. Verity insists "Look Through the Glasses" and see people as they really are. The show ends with a spirited reprise of "Blow Your Own Trumpet."
What I Don't Like: Once again, this is a family TV special in the 1960's. While it looks better and is a bit more lavish than Jack and the Beanstalk, it's still not even the live spectacles many are accustomed to seeing on TV today. For all his clothes obsession, the Emperor doesn't really have as much to do as in other versions of this story. It's the supporting cast who really shine here.
The Big Finale: This is far and away my favorite of the three Prince Street Players musicals I've watched so far. In fact, this might be a nice starting point for introducing your kids to this series. Highly recommended and absolutely hilarious.
Home Media: Alas, like the other Prince Street Players musicals, this is only available on YouTube at press time.
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