The Girl Who Swallowed a (Virtual) Cactus (In Your Home)

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If there’s anyone still wondering how much has changed since the pandemic landed on our shores, just take a look at family friendly First Stage theater. Normally, First Stage audiences would gather in an intimate theater in downtown Milwaukee, or perhaps at the company’s even smaller stage just a mile or two away. As the curtain went up, children (and adults who want to tap into a source of childlike wonder) would see magic conjured before their eyes. All sorts of imaginary and real-life characters would come to life, courtesy of one of the country’s best theaters for young people.

In its second installment in an all-virtual season, First Stage moves the action to one’s computer screen, tablet or cellphone. When downloading the program, don’t expect to see the inside of a theater. Instead, the viewer enters a pleasantly appointed dining room. In The Girl Who Swallowed a Cactus (In Your Home), actor Karen Estrada gets a chance to display her superb storytelling skills without ever leaving the comfort of her own home.

That’s not to say that Estrada, formerly a First Stage Academy student, has to wing it on her own. This delightful one-woman show was crafted specifically for online audiences by Eric Coble, and it was directed by Jeff Frank, the company’s artistic director. Cactus opened November 2 and can be streamed through November 22. The 45-minute play is suggested for families with children who are ages 7 and up.

Spunky Girl

As the play opens, Estrada speaks directly to the audience. Although she doesn’t mention that she’s about to tell a bedtime story, it’s easy to imagine children crowded around a computer screen at night, laughing and giggling at Estrada’s tale. The heart of the story revolves around a spunky eight-year-old girl named Sheila. She is represented by a serving spoon that Estrada decorates with a Play-Doh head, matchsticks for hair and pipe cleaners for arms. (It reminds one of the “Forky” character from Disney’s Toy Story 4) Estrada then creates all of Sheila’s “friends,” too. They are represented by a ketchup bottle, a pair of pliers, and a set of salt and pepper shakers. Using these household items as props, Estrada begins to weave an intriguing tale set in New Mexico.

One day, Sheila and her friends find a pile of discarded building supplies in their neighborhood. Blessed by such good fortune, they immediately take these materials and combine them into something of a treehouse-castle-fort. The structure’s pinnacle is adorned with an orange plastic traffic cone.

Estrada, whose talent seems to grow with every production, has a big job in Cactus. Not only must she “speak” the lines of all her characters (by varying her vocal pitch), she must literally “move” all the inanimate objects around the dining table. From a shelf behind her, Estrada adds other household objects as the play progresses. Estrada moves the “children” in and out of their homemade fort while talking about a curious motorist who eventually stops next to the structure. Sheila and her friends eventually are introduced to a mystical coyote named Prince Desert Marigold. Not only does this coyote walk on his hind legs, he wears sunglasses (at night) and drives a truck. It turns out that he’s the leader of a large band of desert animals who are alarmed by the intrusion of people onto their turf.

Before the tale concludes, the children are confronted by a pack of desert animals, including: jack rabbits, roadrunners, vultures, lizards and rattlesnakes. Worse yet, the coyote dares one of the children to walk down a scorpion-filled road without being bit.

Larger Themes

As with all First Stage shows, there are larger themes to be explored. In Cactus, the characters discover the value of friendship and how they can accomplish more together than they can individually. They also learn to listen and respect other’s opinions, and how good communication can avert disaster. 

(In case you are wondering about the play’s title, Sheila is indeed instructed by the coyote to consume a cactus. How she accomplishes this will remain for theatergoers to discover by themselves.)

Although it’s still relatively new, virtual theater is getting better all the time. In this case, lighting, set and costume design, videography and sound mixing all combine smoothly. The fact that the play focuses on one actor, one set and one “screen” minimizes the chance for technical glitches. Although a sharp-eyed viewer may be able to discern the editing of different “cuts” between scenes, the show’s technical aspects are uniformly excellent.

Estrada conjures this imaginative story with the aplomb of an accomplished storyteller. She is so confident while breezing around her dining room table that, almost as an afterthought, she exits briefly to retrieve her cat. The uncredited cat serves as the play’s “wily bobcat.” But it must be said that the cat seemed rather bored by the whole enterprise, so it’s fortunate that the cat only makes a cameo appearance.

First Stage regulars will remember seeing Estrada in other productions, most recently, The Legend of Rock, Paper, Scissors (she played a singing and dancing scissors). She can also be seen in another locally filmed virtual production, Skylight Music Theatre’s Being Earnest. She plays the prim Miss Prism in this 1960s musical version of Oscar Wilde’s famous play, The Importance of Being Earnest. That show streams through November 12.

In any case, do try to catch The Girl Who Swallowed a Cactus (In Her Home). It’s an excellent entertainment deal for children and parents alike. To stream Cactus, visit firststage.org for ticket information.

To read more theater previews and reviews, click here.

To read more articles by Anne Siegel, click here.