Stage Review: Freaky Friday (WWCA)
Stage Review - Freaky Friday
Presented By: Western Washington Center for the Arts (WWCA) - Port Orchard, WA
Date Reviewed: Friday, September 08, 2023
Reviewed By: Greg Heilman
There’s that old saying, the one that talks about not being able to truly understand someone until you walk a few steps in their proverbial shoes. In other words, everyone is going through something, and none of us should be so quick to judge another’s circumstances, as none of us truly know what anyone else is going through. This, of course, is the basic premise behind Freaky Friday, first released as a novel in 1972 by Mary Rodgers, and followed by numerous Disney film versions, the first featuring Jodie Foster and the most recent starring Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan. The musical version, also developed by Disney Theatrical, was written by Bridget Carpenter (book), Tom Kitt (music), and Brien Yorkey (lyrics), and has really taken on a life of its own. Though it never made it to Broadway, it has become quite popular with regional and community theaters and it is the show that Western Washington Center for the Arts (WWCA) has selected to open its 2023-24 season, sadly the last that will take place within their familiar space on Bay Street in Port Orchard.
To be fair, and in the interest of full transparency, I come into Freaky Friday already a fan, of the story and its message, the films, and this musical version, with its combination of poppy, catchy, and poignant songs. The WWCA production, directed by Angela McDermott (assisted by Sarah Conte-Bacolini) stars Leslie Niemi as Katherine Blake, a workaholic wedding planner who is overwhelmed and focused on planning her own wedding, and Audrey Trabucco as her teenage daughter Ellie. The show begins with Ellie and her mother at odds, Ellie feeling the tug of her high school social set and the responsibilities of her home life, wanting more than anything to participate in her school’s scavenger hunt while her mother demands Ellie’s attendance at the rehearsal dinner taking place on the same evening. Through a bit of magical intervention, the two suddenly switch bodies and are forced to face the day as the other, Ellie working on wedding plans and mother Katherine heading back to high school. What follows is a story of transformation and understanding that is both fun and poignant, performed by an excellent cast of local actors.
The mother-daughter pair of Lesley Niemi and Audrey Trabucco are just exemplary. The majority of the show has them acting as the other, meaning that Lesley is teenage Ellie and Audrey is her overwhelmed mother, and the two are just fantastic in these roles. Leslie is hilarious as the surly and hormonal teenager, but she also shows how well she can play a character who grows and discovers more about herself and her family throughout. From a musical perspective, the Heilman & Haver award nominee is superb, especially in “Parents Lie” and “I Got This”, the latter performed with Audrey’s Ellie and the show’s talented ensemble. With her stage presence and ability, Leslie Niemi would surely steal any other show, but here, she is at least matched, and in some cases upstaged by Audrey Trabucco. Audrey’s range, power, and confidence make her an absolute treat to watch. “Oh, Biology” is the perfect example that shows her ability, owning the stage, while sharing it with the popular boy in school, and the one Ellie has her eye on, Adam (Andrew Knickerbocker), and a good portion of the teenage ensemble. Additionally, Audrey’s seriousness and earnestness as the embodiment of her adult mother is the perfect complement to Leslie’s goofy, clumsy, and confused teenager. In “Busted”, the two show how well they work together, and while the number gets a bit chaotic towards the end when the entire ensemble is on the stage, and into the aisles of the small WWCA space, it’s best when the two leads play off of one another, as they do here and in “I Got This” and “Just One Day”.
This production of Freaky Friday has a large cast, and each actor brings their own bit of magic to the show. Harper Rogers is Fletcher Blake, Ellie’s little brother whom she finds extremely annoying, but who also is the center of one of the most heartfelt arcs of the musical. Harper does well in delivering her lines with a timing that is beyond her years. Alex Clark is Mike, Katherine’s fiancé and the target of much of Ellie’s frustration. Alex plays this character with patience and love and at times is the only steadying character in a largely chaotic family situation. Rounding out the group of featured and supporting actors, along with Andrew Knickerbocker, is Shelby Skinner as Savannah, the popular girl in school and Ellie’s foil. There’s a certain attitude that this character needs to have and Shelby is on target. Oh, and each of these actors, to a person, and this includes the ensemble that has too many talented performers to name, can sing. Angela has cast this show very well, and under the vocal direction of Amy Knickerbocker, nary a chance to shine is missed.
This cast is so talented and performs this show so well, there is very little to call out or question, except perhaps for one thing. If you’ve read previous reviews and are tired of me talking about the use of microphones in certain shows, go ahead and skip to the next paragraph, there’s more happiness there. If you’re still here, perhaps you’re wondering if I’m going to say something different than I’ve said before. Well, perhaps not, but I feel it needs to be said here. I’ll summarize by saying that I believe this cast is too good, especially Leslie and Audrey, and the WWCA space too small to warrant the need for microphones in this show. First off, only certain actors have them and the two leads project well enough; in fact Audrey’s microphone wasn’t working at the beginning of the opening night show and there was no issue hearing her, even above the ensemble. Microphones themselves create a less natural sound and when certain folks have them and others don’t, or they’re only used for singing and not speaking, there’s an incongruence to the overall sound quality that is distracting. There’s also the issue of picking up an actor’s breathing or other unwanted sounds. Yes, I’ve called this out before on other shows, and while I firmly believe that Freaky Friday is a well done and expertly delivered show, I can’t help but wonder how much better it could be if the amplification was left just to the actors.
Technically, the previous paragraph not withstanding, Freaky Friday is designed and performed nicely. The set is simple, seemingly a black box accentuated by set pieces moved on and off the stage, and other modular pieces that serve multiple purposes. Scene changes aren’t too long and the pace of the show moves along well. Meanwhile, Erik Lawrence’s comfort with WWCA’s new-ish lighting system continues to improve, lights here used very well to set scene mood and context. Angela and Sarah are listed in the program not just as directors, but also choreographers and costumers, and it’s clear from this show that the two take a lot of pride in this work. Even when the WWCA stage seems like there’s just too many people on it, the choreography for this show just works. Steps range from simple to complex, and every square inch of the stage (and then some) is utilized very well.
Western Washington Center for the Arts seems to be developing a pattern, opening its seasons with a winner. Last season Jekyll and Hyde set the bar high for what turned out to be an excellent collection of shows, and this year Freaky Friday is doing that again. This story, with its catchy songs and timeless themes of family, understanding, and forgiveness, is so well performed that you may want to come back and see it again. You’ll easily be humming its songs long after you leave the theatre.
Freaky Friday runs onstage at Western Washington Center for the Arts in Port Orchard through October 1. For more information and tickets, visit https://wwca.us/.
