CHILDREN’S THEATER REVIEW : Fullerton Troupe’s Production of ‘Dolly’ Is No Mere Plaything

Most of us don’t go to children’s theater expecting much in the way of glitz and glamour. High energy, yes. High style? Guess again.

That’s why the Fullerton Children’s Repertory Theater’s current production of “Hello, Dolly!” is such a find. With lavish costumes and scenery, a live (albeit tiny) orchestra and 47 talented young performers ages 10 to 14, this “Dolly” is a treat for the eyes and ears. The Jerry Herman/Michael Stewart musical, which premiered on Broadway in 1964, continues through July 28 at the Fullerton High School Little Theater.

“Dolly” is the second show this year for FCRT, a 7-year-old amateur troupe that involves about 50 elementary and junior high school students from north Orange County. The group produces two large-cast Broadway musicals each year under the direction of co-founders Alberta Strey and Vicki Schindele. Students may perform with the troupe until the summer after they complete eighth grade, then “graduate” into the technical crew to learn a variety of backstage skills.

Heading the cast at last Friday’s opening-night performance (the directors double-cast all principal roles) was Alyse Spiegel, 13, a willowy redhead with a strong voice and a promising gift for comedy. Spiegel’s Dolly is a brassy, witty, supremely confident woman-about-town, a Yonkers yenta ready for another shot at the Big Apple. When this Dolly sets her cap for the unsuspecting “half-millionaire” Horace Vandergelder (a blustery Brian Singer), you can bet she’ll get her way. Twelve-year-old Ben Makino is likable as the country bumpkin Cornelius Hackl, and Chelsea Hoffman, 13, makes a fetching Irene Molloy, the object of Cornelius’ affections.

Musical highlights in the show include “It Takes a Woman,” a chauvinistic little ditty by a chorus of Yonkers’ most manly men, and “Ribbons Down My Back,” a romantic tune led by Irene Molloy and capped by a pretty, all-female dance sequence.

Sixteen-year-old Bronwen Shirk, the costume designer for “Dolly,” is someone to watch. From Dolly’s gold-flecked satin gown in Act II to the gentlemen’s shining spats, Shirk has done a fine job of re-creating the elegance of 1890s garb, all the way down to the handmade corsets worn by each female character. Shirk’s grandmother, Nell Van Vliet, took on the heady task of creating more than 50 hats and headpieces. Both women were assisted in the pieces’ construction by more than a dozen cast mothers.

Ed Huber’s sets, especially for the Harmonia Gardens restaurant scene, are highly detailed and versatile. Their bulk gave Friday’s stage crew a workout and caused a few lags during scene changes, but things should be running more smoothly by this weekend’s shows. A more efficient method of closing the curtains on Harmonia Gardens’ two private dining rooms would save the actors some fussing as well.

Two days after closing “Dolly,” 38 FCRT members will depart for an 11-day tour of Denmark and Sweden, where they will perform a medley of Broadway show tunes for audiences in Copenhagen, in Stockholm and in the Furuvik amusement park in Gayle. In past years, the troupe has performed at the French Musicale in Annecy and at the International Youth Musical Festival in Shizouka, Japan. To help raise funds for this year’s tour, the group is holding a pre-show lasagna dinner at 6 p.m. in the Fullerton High School courtyard today and Saturday. Tickets for the dinner and show are $12.

‘HELLO, DOLLY!’

A Fullerton Children’s Repertory Theater production of the Jerry Herman/Michael Stewart musical. Directed by Alberta Strey and Vicki Schindele. Runs two hours and 20 minutes, with one intermission. With Alyse Spiegel, Tami Griffin, Jason Lythgoe, Jason Subia, Brian Singer, Joseph Broumand, Linda Wintrode, Becky Doubledee, Ben Makino, Scott Baker, Zand Broumand, Ian Dietrich, Jack Rhoads, Anthony Ranii, Chelsea Hoffman and Sarah Lentz. Sets by Ed Huber. Costumes by Bronwen Shirk. Lighting by Steve Masters and Karen Freiley. Sound by Scott Schindele. Performances are today at 7:30 p.m., Saturday at 1:30 and 7:30 p.m., July 27 at 7:30 p.m. and July 28 at 1:30 and 7:30 p.m. at the Fullerton High School Little Theater, 201 E. Chapman Ave. (behind the Plummer Auditorium) in Fullerton. Tickets: $5. Group discounts available. Call (714) 870-6911.