West Bloomfield

Two Muses combines fairytales with ‘Big Bad Wolf’

By Eric Czarnik
C & G Staff Writer

WEST BLOOMFIELD — Two Muses Theatre hopes to blow the house down with a children’s fractured fairytale this February.

The theater company will present “Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?” on select days Feb. 9-24 at the Barnes & Noble Booksellers theater in West Bloomfield.

The play, written by Tom McCabe, mixes the tales of “Little Red Riding Hood” and “The Three Little Pigs.” The result is pretty exciting, according to director Nancy Cooper.

“The Big, Bad Wolf kind of gets caught between the two stories,” she said. “Everything is very cartoony and fantastical.”

Two Muses Theatre was founded in 2011, and Cooper said this is the first time the company has focused on doing a play geared toward children. She said she has lots of experience in children’s theater, and she explained that a kids production makes it necessary for actors to do their craft differently.

For instance, the cast of adult actors in “Big Bad Wolf” often must perform physical humor and pratfalls, be it falling down or getting hit by planks, she explained.

Other touches, like having the Three Little Pigs dance and sing contemporary music, are fun flourishes that both kids and adults can appreciate.

“I think the thing for kids is that there is constant excitement,” she said. “There is not a lot of stopping and talking and doing long speeches.”

Actor Atran Raikany, of West Bloomfield, said this is his first major production, outside of acting at Oakland Community College. He said he saw the Two Muses’ holiday production of “Greetings!” and was blown away.

Raikany will be playing the role of Porky, one of the three pigs who builds his house out of straw.

“He acts like he’s the boss of the three little pigs,” he said. “All in all, the three pigs are kind of one entity. … They balance each other really well.”

Two Muses Theatre will present the family-friendly production of “Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?” at the Barnes & Noble Booksellers theater, 6800 Orchard Lake Road in West Bloomfield. The show will start at 11 a.m. Feb. 9, 16 and 23. Additional shows will start at 2 p.m. Feb. 9-10, 16-17 and 23-24.

Advance tickets are $10, or $8 for children ages 3-10, and tickets at the door cost an extra $2. Babies and children younger than 3 will not be admitted. Learn more at www.twomusestheatre.org or by calling (248) 850-9919.

You can reach C & G Staff Writer Eric Czarnik at eczarnik@candgnews.com or at (586)498-1058.