Issue date: 10/16/09 Section: Entertainment

Media Credit: Provided by the LPC Theater Department

As red carpet commentators ask for the camera celebrities already know the question. Who are you wearing?
This question would not be asked of the Emperor who unannounced to him was wearing a new brand name called nothing.
In "Emperors New Clothes," a wealthy aristocrat is every bit as gullible as he is vain is befuddled as his haughty ways soon leave him humbled and embarrassed. Grappling with the theme of materialism on a elementary level, the clothes consumed emperor hires swindlers pretending to be tailors to make him new clothes from the finest cloth in the land.
Since the Emperor and his ministers have all fallen for the trappings of social status he soon gets more then he bargained for when he is paraded around the town unknowingly wearing nothing.
"Playing the wife of the Emperor requires a bit of over reacting and drama, said performing at student Nikki Abercrombie. The Empress is an eccentric follower, much like some celebrities today."
The LPC Children's Theater Workshop approach to this Hans Christian Anderson fairy tale first published in 1837, tells the story of the pretensions and self aggrandizing ruler with the fresh eyes in the adaptation by Karen Boettchner-Tate.
The vivid and witty show performances will take place in the Little Theater in the 800 bldg.
Show dates for the play are Friday Oct. 23 at 7p.m., and on Saturday Oct. 24 at 2 p.m. All LPC students are invited to join and admission is free.
"It's a great show that took a lot of work and preparation," said Ken Ross head of the Theater arts department. "With 22 cast members and 14 students assigned as technical crew creating props and set design its put together well."
Sharing the stage with community the Workshop performs the production for six elementary schools in the Tri-Valley area: two schools in Pleasanton, three in Livermore and one in Dublin.
"Anyone can appreciate this play," said actor Matt Hofstad. "It's light-hearted and full of a lot of talented actors immersing themselves into character."
Though the script resonates a modern theme, it is the multi-colored, scene-setting costumes that buoy this production.
"Our costumes came from Cal State East Bay and the Douglass Morrison Theater in Hayward," said costume designer Anney Daugherty.
Combining morality, fashion and comedy with reality, The Emperors New Clothes is an old fashioned fable with a modern day theme.

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