THE MUSICIANS OF BREMEN
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Steve Totland loosely bases his sprightly 45-minute treatment on the Brothers Grimm tale about four enterprising animals who manage to outfox some robbers. Totland adds a love interest, subtracts the cock, and brings in a stream of nicely serviceable songs by director Jacquie Krupka. Rightly so–as Paul Sills’s 60s Story Theater version showed, this folk tale cries out for music all along its path.
Different paths bring these all-too-human animals to the same predicament. On the eve of her marriage to Rudolpho the Renard, the cat Katrina (Sandy Snyder in a spangled polka-dot party dress) develops “cold paws”; she intends to run off in disguise (and, sly puss that she is, discover if Rudolpho loves her enough to look for her). Dodie (Meryl Friedman), a lovable schnauzer, was expelled from home for stealing Wiener schnitzel (something she protests she hates). Finally, Donald (Gary Glasgow), a famous bel canto singing donkey, embarks for the town of Bremen as a finalist in the annual “Music Makers’ Big Time Competition and Bake Sale.”
We never do learn if the animals win their competition, but by the end of the story, it doesn’t matter; the journey is what’s important.
