AYAA Review: FHT's Junie B. Jones in Jingle Bells Batman Smells!

So when I initially decided I wanted to start writing reviews, I was a little nervous. I tend to be
hypercritical of theatre and I didn't want to offend friends, but I also wanted to be honest.

LUCKILY, the first show I saw while home was AMAZING and I have very little to say negatively. Yesterday afternoon, I saw the closing show of Junie B. Jones in Jingle Bells, Batman Smells at Fountain Hills Youth Theater. It was directed by Ross Collins and starred Emily Spets as the titular Junie B. Jones. This is a remount of this show from last year and I hope it continues to be a holiday tradition. The cast is almost the same as last year, with the changes of Summer Beckman taking over the part of May, Lachlan Henderson playing Junie B.'s pet elephant, Phillip Johnny Bob, and Caleb De Los Santos playing both the role of Mr. Toot and the role of Grandpa Miller.

I have only foggy memories of seeing Junie B. shows at Childsplay when I was in elementary school, but I think nine-year-old Mackenna would have enjoyed FHT's portrayals just as well, especially because almost 19-year-old Mackenna definitely enjoyed herself.

Patty Torrilhon

The sets and lights and sound were nearly perfect. There were little things that sometimes hurt the pace, like the length of the sound cue whenever the girls talked about going to the principal's office, but on the whole, the entire mise en scene really helped to transport me and the rest into the audience into the world of Junie B. Jones. I especially loved all the costumes. Although I didn't see the production last year, looking at pictures, I really appreciate some of the costumes changes they made, particularly Junie B's costumes.

At  first, I was a little off-put by the extreme over-the-top acting and stylized movement, but as we got further and further into the play, it made so much sense and ended up adding to my enjoyment of the show.

As actors, the entire cast was incredible. Of course, working with young actors, there were occasional diction problems, but on the whole, all of the characters were perfectly crafted. The only character who I thought needed some tweaking was Lucille, played by Mollie Stellino, but I definitely think it had more to do with the direction of the character versus the portrayal; Stellino was adorable and hilarious as the pompous Lucille, but some of the directing choices made her feel a little repetitive. Emily Spets as Junie B. Jones and Summer Beckman as her "antagonist," May play off each other perfectly. They have such great subtlety in their action when they're not

Patty Torrilhon

speaking, specifically Beckman, like the moment when she selects the crayons to give Junie B. Jones as a Christmas gift. And Spets has some of the most perfect comedic timing I've ever seen, especially in someone my own age. In the supporting cast, some particular stand outs were David Woods as the really weird, really dorky and overtly Jewish character of Sheldon, Asher Sheppard as the one straight man in the show, Mr. Scary, who did a good job of keeping the otherwise outrageous characters at bay, and Lachlan Henderson, in her adorable cameo role as Junie B.'s stuffed elephant, Phillip. Even though Lachlan was the youngest member of the cast, she killed her two scenes and kept up with
the rest of the actors. Also, got to shout India Rose Chudnow for dumping an entire bottle of hand sanitizer on herself. Henderson and Chudnow steal every scene they're in in the best way possible.

So, unfortunately, the show has closed so I can't recommend you go see it! HOWEVER, I truly hope FHT continues to make this a holiday tradition so everyone can see it. :)