Don’t you just hate pushy moms? Well, in Vancouver playwright Michelle Riml’s world premiere of Miss Teen, mom has her reasons.
The Shadow Theatre production directed by John Hudson looks at family dynamics through the lens of beauty pageants.
An awkwardly shy but intelligent teenager surprisingly wins a local Miss Teen pageant. Her single mother sees this as an opportunity to help the economically disadvantaged family change their run of bad luck.
She enters her daughter in the nationals, something the young adolescent balks at.
“Mary is a super smart girl and she could win a scholarship to university through the pageant. Her mom sees it as a way to advance her daughter’s education,” says Hudson.
“However, some of the things she (the mother) does are highly questionable.”
Miss Teen stars Emily Howard, Kristi Hansen, Patricia Cerra and Emma Houghton.
Although beauty contests are slowly fading as a popular pastime, Riml wrote the comedy based on her experiences in a pageant, believing it still offered a few nuggets of humour and wisdom.
Hudson also notes, “The message is very affirming – that you need to come together and support each other as families.”
Miss Teen runs Jan. 23 to Feb. 10 at Varscona Theatre, at 10329-83 Avenue. Tickets range from $22 to $36. Visit www.shadowtheatre.org.
