Sly fox overcomes greedy humans

PLAY REVIEW /// ‘The Fantastic Mr. Fox’



HATCHING A PLAN—From left, Beau Ward, Riley Emma Mays, Caroline Beck, Eyal Wolf, Rebecca Glaubke and Suzy Schmidt star in Young Artists Ensemble’s production of “Fantastic Mr. Fox.” Courtesy of Paul Cranmer

HATCHING A PLAN—From left, Beau Ward, Riley Emma Mays, Caroline Beck, Eyal Wolf, Rebecca Glaubke and Suzy Schmidt star in Young Artists Ensemble’s production of “Fantastic Mr. Fox.” Courtesy of Paul Cranmer

Animal tales are among the oldest preserved stories in folklore, going back to the days of Aesop. In these stories, certain animals play specific role types, with the fox usually appearing as a character that’s sly, calculating and predatory.

Roald Dahl’s 1970 book “Fantastic Mr. Fox” turned such traditional fairy tale roles upside down, as the fox becomes the hero in a battle against a trio of sadistic farmers. Dahl’s story was adapted for the theater by David Wood, and Young Artists Ensemble is staging the show through Feb. 16 at Hillcrest Center for the Arts in Thousand Oaks.

The plot of “Fantastic Mr. Fox” is simple. Mr. Fox is the head of a clan that includes his wife and four children. He is highly respected by the other animals in the forest, who rely on him to steal food from the farmers’ gardens.

In retaliation, the farmers— named Boggis, Bunce and Bean—set up a stakeout to catch Mr. Fox in the act, which leads the cunning animal to dream up alternative ways of stealing their food.

Even though Mr. Fox is basically a career criminal and an unrepentant thief, the audience is directed to sympathize with him and the other animals.

As director Suzanne Tobin explains in her program notes, “The animals in the play face a moral dilemma: survival or theft.”

YAE’s production features Beau Ward as Mr. Fox and Riley Emma Mays as Mrs. Fox, with Teddy Skye Garcia playing the roles of Narrator and Badger. Ward does a nice job in the lead role, comfortable in the part and nimble enough to handle the complex blocking, which involves much running underneath stages, through trap doors and up and down small sets of stairways, all constructed by Mark Andrew Reyes.

Mays is especially good as Mrs. Fox, especially when she sings the gentle “Deep in the Ground” to her children.

Her clear, pitch-accurate voice is perfectly suited for this scene and we look forward to productions that will take greater advantage of her obvious vocal talents. The song is one of two provided for the play, although new underscoring, crafted by keyboardist Susan Treworgy-Calkins and guitarist Glen Calkins, is played throughout.

Lorna Bowen has created unique costumes to identify the characters. The animals wear adorably suitable caps, and the farmers—played by Sophia Davies, Drake Xavier Munson and McKenna Keiser—sport giant, bloated fright masks over their heads. Ian Kelley and Natalie DeSavia provide the effective projections.

Tobin works well with younger performers and one can easily see the effectiveness of her disciplined direction.

The large cast memorized lines, flawlessly executed Jessica Coffman’s choreography and somehow avoided bumping into one another during complex chase scenes through a maze of tunnels and trap doors.

The fun, lively production will appeal to all ages. It runs through Feb. 16 at Hillcrest Center for the Arts, 403 W. Hillcrest Drive, Thousand Oaks. Conejo Theatre for Everyone, a troupe featuring actors with and without disabilities, will perform the show Feb. 21 to 23 at Hillcrest.

For tickets visit yaeonline.com or call (805) 381-1246.