“Dad, I hate this. I hate being here,” said my 7-year-old son, Emmett, as we took our seats to the 3-act production of Labyrinth put on by
Evergreen School of Ballet. The first of the two performances on May 10th and 11th, 2025 was about to start.
Labyrinth is a 1986 fantasy film directed by Jim Henson, produced by George Lucas, and starred David Bowie and a 14-year-old Jennifer Connelly. It is about Sarah (Connelly) journeying through a magical maze to save her baby brother Toby from the Goblin King Jareth (Bowie). It contains goblins, of course, but also many other fantastic puppet creatures one would expect from a Henson-Lucas production. It also, of course, included several original songs by Bowie.
“As far as I know, Labyrinth has never before been seen in dance form on stage,” according to director and choreographer Gabrielle Palmatier Marshall (aka Mrs. Gabe) who turned this film into a 3-act production. No small feat indeed. Her years-long experience as a professional ballet dancer and life-long love of the film made her uniquely qualified to take on such a challenge.
I leaned over to my sulking son and whispered, “Audrey has worked hard for this and we support our family.” Our 4-and-three-quarters-year-old daughter had been rehearsing for 8 weeks to be one of the silly fairies who dance around teasing Sarah and her guide Hoggle mid way through Act 1.
Earlier that day, my wife, Rebecca, took Audrey to dress rehearsal. While Audrey had seen Emmett on stage before, she had never been on one herself and the shock quickly morphed into stage fright. However, two older girls, Palmatier Marshall’s daughter Aiyana and Johanna Keefe, helped her with hugs and encouragement and got Audrey through it. Those two girls showed real leadership, kindness and empathy towards a younger dancer who was scared of being on stage for the first time.
This demonstrates the inclusive culture at the Evergreen School of Ballet better than any marketing material can. Even the principal dancers were constantly helping the younger dancers, forming a true dance-troupe filled with encouragement and teamwork. It’s a wonderful example of how people can work together in a world where competition is so prevalent.
Wisely, Audrey's scene was mid-way through the first act. This way, the 3 and 4-year olds only needed to be handled for about 15 minutes before they were on stage and, if they couldn’t sit still afterward their scene, then they were free to leave. Anyone who has had small kids knows how hard it is to get a 4-year-old to sit still for 2 hours.
However, Audrey, who had never seen the film, was so mesmerized by the dancing and costumes that she demanded they stay and watch the rest of the dress rehearsal! Then, when they got home, Audrey wanted to see the movie during before the show and proceeded to watch every second of the puppet filled, and sometimes scary, 80s film.
Back in our seats, the lights went down and the show began with Emmett brooding, yet quiet and paying attention.
What proceeded to unfold before us was, simply put, the most impressive student production of anything I have ever witnessed. And that list includes productions I saw at
Juilliard School of music in Manhattan for the short time I attended.
The opening act played out before us exactly as the movie unfolded. Sarah, played by ESB graduate Alaithia Rooke, dance-acted her frustration with her baby brother Toby, played by the young Orion Nash. Then, the Goblin King Jareth, played by ESB graduate Asher Thurling, made his spectacular entrance causing the audience to erupt. He appeared out of thin air in the middle of the stage to rapturous cheers and applause. He and Sarah share a moment of intense connection as the two leaped and spun together as frenemies. The show continued with frequent cheers throughout Act 1.
Audrey’s part was not long after and is when Sarah, and her reluctant guide, Hoggle, played by the exceptional Brier Carroll, are “attacked” by fairies who dance and leap around them until they are ultimately dispatched with their feet in the air. Until then, the audience had been a bit subdued (with the exception of Jareth’s entrance), but the antics of the young dancers opened the floodgates of smiles, laughter and cheers that would continue throughout the entire show. Audrey found her way to us and there was no doubt we would watch the rest of the show.
By the second act Emmett was hooked.
The costume and set design, done by a team of locals including Jessica & Derrick Jansen, John Nash, Lori Pecchia, Dani Hicks, Cris & Kent Slaymaker, Hillary Roland and others was, in my opinion, the absolute best I’ve ever seen for its level. To take the creative complexity of Jim Henson and replicate it on a shoestring budget is hard, but then to do it across an ambitious 3-act ballet that is nearly scene-for-scene seems impossible. But there it was in all of its impressive glory.
I’ve been costuming for many years and if there’s one truth about costuming it is this: a costume does not need to be perfectly replicated (from its source), but must be easily recognized! Jareth, Sarah and Toby’s costumes were very close replications of their film’s counterparts. The rest of the cast wore creative approximations that gave no doubt to who they were.The goblins, played by a horde of 7 through 10-year-olds including Aiyana Marshall and Ceres Nash, wore viking outfits and horned helmets - invoking the characters more interestingly than direct replication.
Set design and props followed the same principle and knocked it out of the park. The “hand wall” was simple and ingenious yet its reference to the film was obvious.
During Act 2, Ludo, played by Palmatier Marshall’s other talented daughter Harlee Marshall, is saved by Sarah from trolls who are tormenting her with small, biting monsters on the end of sticks. These were perfectly recreated by those stick toys with T. Rex heads whose jaws are activated by squeeze handles. Brilliant!
By the third act, Emmett was entranced, leaning forward in his seat and moving to the music. Much of the score was lifted directly from the film, but some of it was written by local music teacher and composer Cris Slaymaker. It was an eclectic mix of genres including Middle Eastern, electronic punk, 80’s hip hop, classical, and, of course, David Bowie’s unique style. The driving tempos and sounds catered easily to the younger dancers who needed strong, steady rhythms to stay together. One of the scenes even had the audience clapping with the beat, a first for ballet as far as I know!
In the final scene Hoggle (Carroll) and Sarah (Rooke) danced in perfect synchronization as their characters parted ways, then embraced in a hug that was so genuine and full of emotion that I was earnestly moved by the scene. Not only were the characters parting ways, but the two dancers were, too, and the sadness of the inevitability of loss was raw and on display for all to see. It’s stage moments like those that theater actors dream of having.
Emmett wasn’t the only one sucked into Palmatier Marshall’s version of a Henson World. I was mesmerized every second of the show. As it continued I was just blown away. After the show, I was stunned. The audience, without the mergerist coaxing by a few overzealous audience members, all rose in unison for a standing ovation which rose in intensity with each cast member who stepped forward and climaxing with ESB grad Alaithia Rooke who’s applause rose the roof.
The can’t-look-away visual interest of the film is so well replicated in this show. Literally, we couldn’t stop watching its non-stop action of spectacular choreography and dancing. But above all, the show was fun!
After the show, Audrey, infatuated with Asher’s kind and helpful nature, personally sought out him on the stage and hugged him multiple times. He, Rooke and many others, had been in every dance class of Audrey’s and, no doubt, all of the other classes. The time commitment of the principals was clear and large. And the quality of the production excelled from it.
The next morning, Emmett and Audrey both said, “we want to see the ballet again!” They also said, “we want to watch the movie again”. So we put on the movie again and bought tickets for the show’s second performance that afternoon. Emmett sat forward in his seat the entire 2 hours. Our 4-year-old Audrey sat still through another 2 hours of ballet!
I applaud The Evergreen School of Ballet for making such an awesome production. Their vision and dedication to the arts is truly of the highest caliber. It is no small feat to write a ballet from scratch and then to choreograph almost 60(!) performers. Evergreen is lucky to have this artistry.
I applaud every one of the 60 dancers in that production. The principals clearly spent an incredible amount of time training and learning choreography. The 7-10 year olds were in no fewer than 8 scenes which is impressive at their ages. And, of course, the littles, including my 4-and-three-quarters-year-old Audrey, did their part, too, with enthusiasm and pizzazz.
I applaud the stage crew, many of whom are my neighbors (and yours, too), who built sets and designed costumes that clearly recreated a Jim Henson universe on a local-theater budget. They even included an Easter egg for us Gen-Xers.
I applaud the music. The samples from the film was pleasantly reminiscent (I mean, it's David Bowie!) and the original pieces were spot on with the genera of the performance.
Rarely have I been moved by the quality and intensity of theater like this. I would compare it watching
eight mezzo-sopranos Opera belt out Ride of the Valkyries while riding “The Machine” during Wagner’s Ring Cycle. I'd watch either one again at any time.
Bravo Evergreen School of Ballet! And bravo Mrs. Gabe!
7.2.2