Tickled Pink at OCT's "Pinkalicious"

My girls love the arts, especially the performing arts. The first stage performance my older daughter saw was Boston Ballet’s version of The Nutcracker. She was just three years old. My husband and I weren’t sure how long she would last. We thought she would have to leave within thirty minutes. She was enthralled for over an hour. Soon after that performance, we moved to Portland and I researched children’s theater hoping to find an arts scene as rich as the one we moved from. I was delighted to discover the Oregon Children’s Theater. We have seen just about every play they have put on since and have never been disappointed.  Pinkalicious was no different. This was my younger daughter’s first play and she loved every minute of it.

OCT always has an activity for the kids as they wait for the performances to start so it’s good to get there early. The Pinkalicious activity was a scavenger hunt for pink cupcakes.  My girls had a great time spotting cupcakes throughout the theater.

Both girls had to have the pink packs they were selling in the lobby. These packs included a magic wand, a pink necklace, a Pinkalicious poster and a tiara.  At first, I was reluctant to purchase things that would add to an overflowing playroom but the items came in handy.  The tiaras went on immediately, the magic wands got us through the rest of the day and the poster was perfect for autographs.

While I was getting the pink packs, my husband was getting cupcakes. You can’t have a Pinkalicious play and not have cupcakes. The performance hadn’t even started and already my girls were having the best day.

Even I was in awe of the pink-tinsel draped stage. The theater was a sea of tiaras and magic wands. When prompted the audience waved their magic wands and yelled “Pinkalicious” to start the show.  

OCT did a great job adding to the book. The Pinkertons are a pink-loving family who all learn that being yourself is the best you can be. The show was well-cast. Kia Tomizawa is fantastic as Pinkalicious. We all loved her singing and dancing during the song When Dreams Come True. Skylar Derthick deserves a mention as well. My girls loved his Blues Brothers influenced I Got the Pink Blues.  

Pinkalicious was the most Portland-influenced play to date. There was a bicycle built for four, a mother concerned with getting the recycling out, a Kaiser Permanente sign in Dr. Wink’s office and a gender-neutral love of pink.

As with just about all of OCT’s plays, Pinkalicious came home with us. My girls spent the rest of the afternoon dressed all in pink eating imaginary pink cupcakes squealing “I’m Pinkalicious”. Thankfully, they finished all their veggies at dinner.