This ‘Sleeping Beauty’ isn’t the Disney version of the well-loved fairy tale

If your only reference for "Sleeping Beauty" is the Disney version, be advised that that's not what the Rainbow Company Youth Theatre will perform Friday through Sunday and May 4-6 at the Charleston Heights Arts Center. On the other hand, Toni Molloy-Tudor wants you to know that this is an awfully fun show.

And OK, Molloy-Tudor could be accused of being a little biased, since she's the director of the production. But she promises that this is a truly offbeat take.

"One of the key differences in our version is that Sleeping Beauty does not sleep her way through the show," Molloy-Tudor said. "She is a very savvy, weapons-wise martial-arts person who can handle herself."

Well, all right, then.

Molloy-Tudor said the show includes a lot of stage combat, some of it hand-to-hand, some with weapons.

"In some of it, there are ninjas sent out by the evil wizard to stop the prince from approaching the castle," she said.

Oh, and about the evil wizard: Molloy-Tudor said he takes the place of the more commonly seen evil fairy, and his bumbling sidekick adds a lot of comic relief.

And about the combat, she said not to worry.

"It's certainly not something that a parent would object to, as far as their child seeing," she said, "It's all in good fun."

The humor, she added, appeals to children and adults, each on their own level.

"It has a lot of anachronisms in it," she said. "There are modern-day references that appeal to a modern audience, but it still retains the story of Sleeping Beauty."

Molloy-Tudor said the cast of 28 ranges from 7 years old to "probably-wouldn't-want-to-give-away-her-age." A student ensemble, ages 10 through 18, handles the set building and costume design.

And the visuals present a bit of a twist, as well.

"We're using a steampunk theme in the design," she said.

If you're not familiar with steampunk, think of it as a genre that grew out of literature and basically evokes the steam-power era of the early 1900s, with some science fiction and fantasy touches thrown in. So, sort of Rube Goldberg on steroids. Or something.

"Things are run by springs or steam," complete with sound effects, Molloy-Tudor said. "Costuming also follows that era.

"It really is a different version."

Contact reporter Heidi Knapp Rinella at hrinella@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0474.