#NewsFlash | Eye-popping ‘EW’ adds beautiful effects to The Ugly Duckling
BY QEDC It's In Queens
A time-honored tale gets a modern jolt of juice.
Lightwire Theater, a New Orleans-based troupe that mixes stagecraft with technology, offers two presentations of “The Ugly Duckling” at Queens Theatre on Sunday, Oct. 21, at 1 pm and 3 pm.
Wearing streaky costumes, actors spin their yarns with a cutting-edge blend of puppetry, dance, visual tricks, and a creative use of various music genres.
The secret is “Electroluminescent Wire,” a thin copper wire coated in a phosphor which glows when an electric current is applied to it. The actors wear battery-operated EW contraptions made from aluminum rods, dryer ducting, skateboard wheels, and other recycled materials. Thus, they can create waving, glowing images as they boogie around the stage.
Recommended for children ages five to 10, this Sunday’s 60-minute show is based on the classic 19th century fairy tale by Danish poet/writer Hans Christian Andersen. An ugly baby duck gets no respect in the barnyard until he grows up and matures into a beautiful swan.
Imagine the visual image of an EW swan gracefully flying around the scene.
Tickets are $14. Seniors pay $12. A Family Flex Pass costs $10.
Lightwire is no stranger to Queens Theatre, having performed “A Very Electric Christmas” at the Flushing Meadows Corona Park playhouse last November. The group’s repertoire includes “Dino-Light,” “Moon Mouse,” and “Lightwire: The Show.”
Queens Theatre is located at 14 United Nations Ave. S. The venue provides shuttle service to and from the 7 train’s Willets Point/Citi Field subway stop before and after the shows.
Images: Lightwire Theater
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