‘Little Red’ powers a thousand giggles at the Denver Center

The new musical based on an old tale is as cute as it is hilarious

It’s thrilling to go to a kids’ show and see how the young audience reacts to live action. Despite being mostly entertained by screens of one kind or another, there’s no doubt that exposing kids to theatre at a young age will inspire them in ways that TV, films or games simply cannot.

This effect is in full view right now at the Denver Center, where Little Red is setting off giggle fits with its delightfully cute and extremely funny musical spin on a fairytale classic. In this version, written by Chad Henry and directed by Allison Watrous, the original story is augmented with other well-known characters like the three little pigs and Hansel and Gretel.

But it’s mostly Little Red’s story, and Brittany Mendoza-Peña is wonderful as the preternaturally chipper title character who, despite outsized naivete, manages to thread her way through the forest to a happy, happy ending. All of the scary elements of the original have been stripped away and replaced with fun little songs and a heapin’ helpin’ of comedy driven in large part by the not-so-big-bad-wolf played by Steven J. Burge — who is clearly having the time of his life in this role.

Burge’s wolf is a basket case of nervous energy who’s very, very hungry due to the simple fact that he’s a vegetarian who simply can’t find enough plant matter to fill his belly. He’s being pursued by Ranger Roger (Sean Scrutchins), who’s tracking the wolf so he can ship him off to a nearby wilderness area that, the wolf fears, is full of more carnivorous critters that will scare the fur off of him.

Some of the basic storylines are more familiar. Red’s mom (Alex Campbell) sends her off to visit sick grandma with a care basket which, in this case, has cookies, quiche and a bottle of cough syrup. Sporting her new red hoodie, Red prances off on her mission and soon enough encounters the wolf.

It’s hard to overstate just how much Burge brings to this character. This wolf is much more likely to inspire sympathy than fear, and Burge takes that and runs with it as a hilarious lupine martyr who’s seriously jonesing for “some kind of egg pie.” In a world that’s stereotyped him as a threat, wolf must do his best to convince the other characters that he’s a misunderstood good guy just looking for dinner.

Steven J. Burge, Sean Scrutchins and Alex Campbell are the 3 little pigs in the new musical ‘Little Red’ at the Denver Center. | Photo: Michael Ensminger

Scrutchins, as versatile an actor as you’ll find in Colorado, is fantastic as the stern but hapless Ranger Roger who also plays several other characters including one of the three little pigs, Hansel and Shep. Campbell is also a ton of fun to watch as one of the pigs, Gretel and the grandma. (Burge also plays a pig.)

All of the action takes place on a cutesy-wootsy storybook set designed by Lisa M. Orzolek and lit by Charles R. MacLeod — a powerhouse team with literally hundreds of DCPA productions under their belts. The kids loved fanciful elements like little forest critters who popped out of logs, a flock of birds flown on strings above and a garden that appears out of nowhere. Music director Trent Hines worked with a live, four-piece band backstage to breathe life into the many whimsical songs that help drive the narrative.

Costumes by Meghan Anderson Doyle are colorful and simple, with the most inventive being that of the wolf. Rather than a full-on wolf costume or a minimalist pair of ears, Doyle struck a middle ground with a furry headpiece and matching vest as well as a paisley shirt and normal pants with fur popping out of the sleeves and cuffs. Oh, and a big, fluffy tail. The pig costumes are quite well thought-out as well — appearing simple but full of fun “working-man’s pig” details like safety glasses and tool belts and pink hardhats with piggy ears.

Sean Scrutchins as Shep and Brittany Mendoza-Peña as Little Red | Photo: Michael Ensminger

The show details suggest this one’s good for kids through third grade, but our fourth-grade granddaughter loved it (and so did Papa and Grandma). The scene where the wolf reacts to Little Red pouring cough syrup down his throat is worth the price of admission, as is the three little pigs number. But every minute of the show is filled with fun, funny and rich detail that had the audience charmed — and in stitches. Major kudos to Henry (who’s now based in Denver), Watrous and the cast and a production team that pulled out the stops to make this one a very special show for the whole family.