VCU Opera makes fairy-tale magic

The 50-minute musical, “Little Red Riding Hood,” presented by the Opera Theatre VCU students was delightful to watch. The show had an intimate setting because of the small number of audience members in the theater. The actors, especially the wolf, did a wonderful job interacting with the audience.

Katherine Deloyht, seemed well suited for the part of the young mischievous protagonist, Little Red Riding Hood. Her singing ability showed that she had a great potential to become a singer on Broadway. She did, however, need more vocal practice in the projection of her voice. The high notes she hit made her sound lovely.

The acting portion was quite convincing, especially for a fairy tale. Deloyht did a great job imitating a young little girl. She had the cutesy but spunky image pegged.

My favorite actor was Tiara Walker, who played the mother and the grandmother. Her singing and acting were thoroughly enjoyable. She was very funny as the spunky old grandmother dancing around the stage.

The crowd’s favorite comic scene was when the mother used a cell phone to call the grandmother. Since cell phones are banned during any plays, it was humorous when the cell phone rang and the audience thought it belonged to a viewer. Walker’s singing voice also needed more projection work, but it worked well for the small theatre.

The audience’s favorite character was the wolf, played by B.J. Barlow. He was the narrator, who began the play explaining why wolves hate strawberries. His singing was mature and his acting was also more mature than the rest of the cast. His clear, loud voice filled the theater. The wolf was characteristically funny and cunning, making Little Red Riding Hood tell him where her grandmother lived.

As a whole, since the play was short, it was not tiresome like some drawn out productions. Basically this kind of setting is good for people who enjoy theater to relax and be entertained by an already well-known play.

Watching the creative and inventive actors was well worth the ticket price. I enjoyed this opera because of its low-key atmosphere and the talented actors and actresses.

Opera Theater will perform a matinee of “Little Red Riding Hood” April 21 in the W. E. Singleton Center (922 Park Ave.) for children. Students are also welcome, tickets are $1. Call 827-0235 for more information. They will then take their performance to Maryland April 22 and 23.