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Youth & the Arts

The Arden’s Adaptation of Sleeping Beauty with a Modern Twist is Magical
By Katie Jillions & Juliet Piccone

Every little girl loves to see her favorite princess comes to life; every little boy loves to see a good solid sword fight—and  the Arden Theatre is providing children with both thrilling experiences in Sleeping Beauty. But this staging of the classic isn’t enchanting families with the well-known Disney version—no—the show we saw performed was the fairytale with a twist and transformed into a modern masterpiece that will put kids and families everywhere under a spell.

Sleeping Beauty, a la Arden Theatre, is the tale of Briar Rose, a peasant’s daughter left in the woods and given as a gift from Branwen, the good witch, to the king and queen who could not bear children. The blessing of Briar Rose was attended by all, except the Evil Witch Modron, who was not invited. Before Branwen could bestow upon Briar Rose the 13 blessings she was to be given, Modron appeared and demanded the honor of bestowing the final gift. 

“Before her sixteenth birthday, Briar Rose shall prick her finger on a spinning wheel. At the sight of blood from the prick, Briar Rose shall die.” Just like in the original version the spell was changed to one of sleep rather than death.

The spinning wheels were all burned and Branwen’s servant, a half-boy, half-dragon named Gryff, was placed in charge of Briar Rose’s care while she grew up. Gryff, invisible to everyone except Briar Rose, was the Princess’s best friend, until Prince Owain came to stay at the palace for a summer. But this prince lacks some of the qualities you usually expect in royalty—like any sort of talent for instance.

After the first summer, Prince Owain returned every summer henceforth, slowly replacing Briar Rose’s “imaginary friend.” As the show progressed, Briar Rose and Prince Owain approached 16, and Briar Rose approached the date of her fateful accident that would put her to sleep for 100 years. But can the Prince overcome his inadequacies to save Briar Rose? Yes, but this play still adds in those twists to give you a fresh take on the play right down to that magical kiss. To top off the night, there is a meet and greet with all of the characters after the show in the lobby.

Because of its stadium seating, you can’t find a bad seat if you tried at the Arden Theatre. The interesting thing about the set of Sleeping Beauty was it remained the same for the whole play and it didn’t take away from the show at all. But the best part of the Arden experience is how the actors even use the aisle as part of the stage, placing you right in the middle of the play and all the action. The Arden Theatre is located at 40 N. 2nd St. Philadelphia, Pa. For more information, visit www.ardentheatre.org. 

If you go…

Every Philadelphia native knows the rivalry between Pat’s and Geno’s, the two most famous places for a Philly cheese steak. To us, a trip into Philly isn’t complete without a trip to Pat’s. Open 24 hours, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, it is easy to satisfy your craving for a classic Philly cheese steak. The line is usually wrapped around the building on a Friday and Saturday night, so you have plenty of time to prepare your order and look at the photos of all of the celebrities that have eaten at Pat’s in the past. You place your order at the walk-up window, and while that seems a little fast-food-ish, ordering is best part, besides eating the cheese steak. To order, you say the type of cheese you want, and “wit” or “wit out” onions, for example, our favorite, “wiz wit” (cheese wiz cheese steak with onions). There are outdoor tables surrounding the building, so bundling up is necessary. Turnover of the tables is quick, so there is rarely a long wait. Geno’s is right across the street, so you can try both cheese steaks and decide for yourself which is better. Geno’s and Pat’s are located at 9th & Wharton in South Philadelphia.

Juliet Piccone is a senior at Moorestown High School and Katie Jillions is a senior at Holy Cross High School.