THINK PINK: "Pinkalicious: The Musical" at North Coast REP

If you happened to drive by North Coast REP around 11am this past week and weekend, you might have been privy to quite a sight: gaggles of little girls (and their mothers) all decked out in pink, poufy dresses, holding their sparkly tiaras and/or magic wands, dreaming of pink cupcakes while waiting to get into the theatre to see their favorite leader of the pink world. That can only mean one thing: Pinkalicious has come to San Diego!

The cast of "Pinkalicious: The Musical": (from left to right) Susan Hammons, Samantha Greenstone, Susan Huniu, Ira Bauer-Spector, Justin Martin, and Shaun Tuazon. Photo by Daniel Baird.

Pinkalicious: The Musical is based on the best-selling children’s book of the same name penned by sisters Elizabeth and Victoria Kann who also wrote the book and lyrics to the musical version, with music and additional lyrics provided by John Gregor. The story focuses on a young girl named Pinkalicious Pinkerton who is utterly obsessed with…you guessed it…all things the color pink. She’s especially fond of the delicious pink cupcakes that her mother makes, but when she eats one too many of those perfectly pink treats, she develops a bad case of Pinkatitis and turns pink from head to toe. That’s not necessarily a bad thing for our happy-go-lucky, hue-challenged heroine, until she realizes that the only way to cure her ailment is with a nice big dose of leafy greens. It’s a cute, cautionary tale about the dangers of having too much of a good thing and appropriate for children ages 2 to 10 years old.

North Coast Rep’s production (presented under the auspices of NCR’s Professional Theatre for Young Audiences) features a cast of six professional adult actors, all of whom are as bright and sugary sweet as the cupcakes on the Pinkertons' kitchen table. Susan Huniu is wide-eyed, squeaky-voiced, and full of spunk as Pinkalicious; Susan Hammons and Justin Warren Martin are the adult voices of reason as Mrs. and Mr. Pinkerton; Ira Spector is nerdish and nagging as little brother Peter Pinkerton; and Samathan Greenstone and Shuan Tuazon provide peppy support in various roles (including dancing pink cupcakes complete with cherries on top!)

Director/Choreographer Becky Cherlin Baird provides brisk, fluid staging and keeps her cast fully engaged in all the lively action onstage. All in all, her talented cast is very enthusiastic about the material and they manage to keep the show’s toughest critics (i.e. the little girls who made up most of the audience) fully engaged and entertained.

Pinkalicious tells the insects to "Buzz Off": (from left to right) Susan Hammons, Shaun Tuazon, Samantha Greenstone, Susan Huniu, Ira Bauer-Spector, and Justin Martin. Photo by Daniel Baird.

The show runs just under an hour, which perfectly suits the attention spans of the pre-teen audience it targets. And, after the show, there is even an opportunity for your little girl to take photos with the cast and get her program autographed by Pinkalicious herself!

Overall, it is a very cute show and is the perfect way to introduce your pre-teen girl to the joys of live theatre. Once she gets a (sweet) taste of this musical, she may want to come back again and again...

Since Pinkalicious: The Musical played to sold out houses from January 11-15, North Coast REP has extended the run and added shows on the following dates: January 28, January 29, February 3, February 4, and February 5. All shows begin at 11am and are performed at the North Coast REP Theatre at 987 Lomas Santa Fe Drive, Ste D in Solana Beach. For more information and to purchase tickets, call 858-481-1055 or visit www.northcoastrep.org.