The Red Cloud Theater inside of Grace Hall is abuzz these days with excitement galore. Cabrini’s newest musical, “Trixie True Teen Detective,” hit the stage on April 1 and will be running through April 10.
The impressive musical written by Nancy Hamilton is based on Nancy Drew’s very popular mystery series that is geared toward pre-teens, however the show is chock-full of entertainment that would suit the tastes of people of all ages.
The plot begins with a frustrated novelist who is working on a book that will end the career of Trixie True, America’s foremost amateur sleuth. Rita, his alter-egoed boss who is on a serious power trip, is pressuring the writer, who is played by Neal Newman, the director of Cabrini’s theatre, to finish the book as soon as possible.
Throughout the musical the novel is being illustrated by the cast using swing dance moves, tap dancing, singing and orchestrated music that is composed by Dr. Adeline Bethany, professor of fine arts.
The novelist writes his boss Rita into the script as the culprit who tricks Trixie True into using the Morse code in her tap routine to unveil top-secret information to Germany during World War 2. However, Trixie turns out to be no fool to a secretly formulized tap routine and her brazen wit sends her straight into the Atlantic Ocean.
Suddenly, there is a huge twist and the novelist falls hard for his not-so-rigid-after-all boss who ‘ay-carumbas’ across the stage Argentinean style. The musical rewinds and Trixie is ironically saved by love, the biggest mystery of all.
Overall, the musical is a combination of ‘The Lawrence Welk Show’, a Danielle Steel Novel and ‘The Goonies.’ The music is quaintly fun and suspenseful while the plot leaves audience members on the tips of their toes, but is still romantic to the core. Imagination is very vivid throughout the 2 hour duration of the production and viewers are left feeling as light-hearted as a kid.
Posted to the web by Brandon Edwards
