The best children’s theater offers something for kids and adults alike, whether in the form of subtext, spectacle or simple delightfulness, all of which are in abundance in Dallas Children’s Theater’s current production, Rapunzel! Rapunzel! A Very Hairy Fairy Tale (the subtitle alone cues you in that this isn’t just for the wee ones). From the tuneful songs to the character of the male hairdresser with a penchant for the dramatic to the staggeringly impressive costumes, this hint-of-campiness musical about a closeted (well, “towered”) teen with a mane of gold and a wicked stepmother (the always delicious M. Denise Lee, pictured, who was born to play larger-than-life fairy-tale villains) will keep the kiddies enraptured and the adults tittering happily. And even those without offspring can enjoy its bravado.
This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition October 10, 2014.