Dealing with Dragons

Princess Cimorene wants more out of life than to be the wife of a boring, proper prince. Tired of her sedate existence, she takes up fencing, cooking, Latin, even magic. But each endeavor is ended with the admonition that "princesses just don't do that." Faced with marriage, she decides it's time to find some adventures of her own and runs away, ending up as the dragon Kazul's "princess," and finding adventure, danger, and challenges galore. The Words Take Wing cast starts off with stilted, clipped speech--enunciating each and every word--which is good for those reading along but which loses the fluidity of the text for listeners. Gradually, most of the characters relax into their roles and the dialogue flows more smoothly, allowing the listener to get involved in the story. W.L.S. (c) AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine

The Princess Climorene, sick and tired of doing the proper thing, runs away from home. She ends up volunteering to work for the dragon Kazul, who allows her to do improper things like studying Latin, learning magic spells and making cherries jubilee. The Words Take Wing Repertory Company offers overall strong performances as princesses, knights, dragons and wizards; the narrator smoothly delivers a seamless reading. Despite a weak rendering of the dragon Kazul, whose overly dramatic, less-than-smooth reading grates in large doses, the other actors work together to make this witty, humorous fairy tale truly enchanting. References to well-known fairy tales and strong female characters result in a wonderful listen for the entire family. J.A.B. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine