Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2009

Tri-City Prep blends comedy, horror in 'Bunnicula' musical

By Dori O'Neal, Herald staff writer

Who'd believe a little bunny could pose such a danger?

The Monroe family hasn't a clue the cute lost bunny they found at the movie theater is really a vampire.

But the family's cat and dog aren't so naive.

Chester the cat and Harold the dog know exactly how dangerous the bunny rabbit is.

This is the story that unfolds when the musical Bunnicula opens Oct. 30 at Tri-Cities Prep in Pasco.

It's a dark and stormy night when the Monroes go to the movies to see Dracula. A wild rabbit makes its way into the theater and the youngest child, Toby, convinces his parents to take the fuzzy creature home. And that's when a bunch of strange and spooky things begin to happen.

Because Chester and Harold know what's going on, they must protect their owners and try to communicate a warning there's a vampire in the house.

Bunnicula might have a scary theme but it's really a comedy with the cat and dog butting heads with the vampire rabbit.

"Bunnicula seemed a brilliant mix of horror, comedy and music," said Nina Powers, the play's director. "The character of Harold the dog is really delightful and will keep young children and adults laughing while the spooky theme from Chester the cat and the vampire rabbit is a dark and perfect setting for a fun Halloween story.

"The banter between Harold and Chester is truly reminiscent of Felix and Oscar of The Odd Couple. The genre of the show is a vampire horror spoof which is fun and appropriate for all ages."

Leading roles for Bunnicula are handled by Laura Sherwood as Harold the Dog; Veronica Jones and Annie Powers, taking turns as Chester the Cat; Sam Mota-Martinez and Bianca Lupercio, sharing the role of Bunnicula; Alexa Pitney and Kendell Gilmore trading off as Mrs. Monroe; Tevin Stutzman and Peter Rodriguez as Mr. Monroe; and Dante Mota-Martinez, Erin Olsen, Thaddeous Jaricki and Krista O'Neal as the Monroe kids.

Powers said she decided to cast two actors for each role so there would be two interpretations of each character. Each night the Monroe family will take on a different persona, such as a 1950s-style family for first two nights and a trendier modern family the last two nights.

"Part of the art of acting is creating the characters to be real and believable," Powers said. "We've had fun creating both Monroe families."

To make the production even more appealing, each show will feature treats to snack on during intermission.