A new original show at the Delaware Children’s Theatre presents a different view of a classic fairy tale.
Rapunzel and the Witch is a new work by the Children’s Theatre’s Artistic Director, Donna Swajeski. She says she was inspired to write the musical after realizing there was a significant gap in Rapunzel’s tale.
“The story of Rapunzel, she's a little kid, she's put in the tower by the witch, and then 20 years later, she's rescued because her hair is long,” Swajeski says. “What happened in the meantime?”
To tell that story, she drew on her previous career as an Emmy-award winning writer for soap operas like “All My Children,” “The Bold and the Beautiful,” and “Guiding Light.”
"At every meeting, people would say, what is the twist? Where are we going? What are areas we haven't seen?” she explains.
The musical adds some modern-day themes to the classic story. For example, the Prince is interested in ecology and conservation, and the witches are concerned about their relevance as social media influencers roam the forest.
Swajeski says that writing a show that appeals to kids and grownups was important to her.
“There is a message for the adults and the teens,” she says. “And for the kids, there's dancing mushrooms and princesses and I even put some zombies in this one.”
Rapunzel and the Witch is Swajeski’s fifth show. Earlier this year, the Delaware Children’s Theatre presented her production of One Magic Kiss, about Snow White. Writing a production that appeals to audiences of all ages is part of the fun, according to Swajeski.
“You can put these little gems in there and then ultimately some will get them, but I also have talking dogs and funny dancing puppets for kids, so everyone can enjoy it,” she says.
Rapunzel and the Witch opens on April 25 and runs on Saturday and Sunday afternoons through May 9.
Delaware Public Media's arts coverage is made possible, in part, by support from the Delaware Division of the Arts, a state agency dedicated to nurturing and supporting the arts in Delaware, in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts.
