Thorny Theatre

Thorns, an adaptation of the Rapunzel story, premiers this Saturday in a natural amphitheater beside the old tennis courts in Magrath, Alberta. I can hardly wait! 

^{Bard, young Rapunzel, young Callan, and Mother Gothel at the Thorns set}

I have a vested interest in this production, not only because I get to play Mother Gothel, but even more because the playwright , producer, director, and composer is my youngest son, Sam Hudson. After producing and directing Pirates of Penzance in the park last year, he decided he wanted to do Rapunzel, with the Prince climbing her hair into a tower. He also wanted to explore themes about breaking free from conditioning that warps a person’s perspective on good vs evil. So he wrote a new version of the story where Rapunzel prison is not so much the tower as it is the thorny philosophies that her “mother” plants in her mind. 

The themes may be deep, but the play is light and packed with fun. At a running time of approximately 70 minutes, it’s designed for the whole family and features an 18 foot tower that emerges from the set in the time it takes for Gothel to walk across the stage. Other highlights include a gorgeous dance sequence, a novel approach to story telling, and the aforementioned climbing of Rapunzel’s hair up the face of the tower. You’ll laugh and maybe cry. And if you’re like me, you’ll also find yourself musing on the courage required to choose love instead of creating monsters of each other.

If you’re local, please bring your family to see it. Admission is free with donations gratefully accepted (because Sam resonates with a voluntary economy). We are praying for sunshine and warmish evenings. Weather permitting, we’ll perform this Saturday and Monday through Saturday of next week. 

A personal bonus: I’ve fallen so in love with the set (and am sufficiently aware of producer’s costs) that I’m buying it. After the production winds up next week, my grandkids are going to enjoy the best playhouse ever.