'Honk!' is a ducky musical

TAMPA -- Life can be difficult when it seems like you don't fit in. Everyone is quacking, but all you can do is honk. And the quackers in charge usually don't appreciate the honkers.

So begins Honk!, a musical comedy presented by the USF School of Theatre and Dance. An adaptation of the Hans Christian Anderson tale The Ugly Duckling, Honk! won Britain's Laurence Olivier Award for best new musical in 2000.

Director Nancy Cole has put together a capable, enthusiastic student ensemble led by Brandon Wilson as Ugly, the misunderstood "duckling;" Tina Gonzalez as Ugly's protective mother, Ida, and Michael Innocenti as the devilish Cat, bent on devouring the ever-naive Ugly.

Ida is as horrified as her friends and neighbors when Ugly hatches, admitting, "This one's different." Ugly slips away from his hesitant family and becomes lost in the woods, pursued by the voracious Cat and guilt-ridden Ida, determined to reclaim her offspring.

Act I culminates in Ugly being taken in by a ragtag squadron of itinerant geese led by blustering Paul Richard Davies as Greylag. Their song, The Wild Goose Chase, is a high point of the show.

William Lorenzen's whimsical costumes allow the actors to develop their characters of ducks, frogs, fish, hens and swans without encumbering pieces or masks.

G.B. Stephens created a magical marshy duck yard that moves beautifully through the seasons, enhanced by slides projected onto the backdrop and innovative lighting created by David K. Williams. A particularly effective underwater scene featuring three dancers as fish encountering Ugly as he learns to swim works well with Williams' lighting and choreography by Michael Foley, Julie Mac and Christine Lockhart.

Sunday's audience, a mix of young children, their parents, senior citizens and college students, responded appreciatively to the quirky charm of this tale about seeking acceptance and home.

Honk! is about all the things we hope our kids learn and grownups need to be reminded of: Different is okay. Accept others for who they are, not what they look like. Inside we're all a lot alike. This duck yard would be pretty boring if we all looked the same. And out there somewhere is someone who'll love you -- warts and all.

REVIEW: Honk! A Musical Comedy, continues Wednesday through Saturday at 8 p.m., Theatre 1, University of South Florida Tampa campus. Tickets: $12 adults, $6 students and seniors; available at the USF College of Visual and Performing Arts box office. Call (813) 974-2323.

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