Feeling blue? “Pinkalicious” is sure to cheer any audience member up. The short musical based on a popular children’s book opened this July 14 at the Marriott Theatre featuring Northwestern alumni and current students in its cast.

The kid-friendly musical follows a young girl named Pinkalicious Pinkerton with a sweet tooth and a love for the color pink, which often lands her in trouble. The musical is usually performed with a pre-recorded soundtrack, said director and choreographer Amanda Tanguay. However, the Marriott production adds to the soundtrack with their own instruments.

Tanguay said she decided to include live music on top of the soundtrack because of a piano placed onstage for the musical “Murder for Two,” which is running in the theater at the same time.

“We thought, ‘How can we use this to our advantage?’ And we decided to add more music,” Tanguay said. “We have actors playing piano, playing guitar, playing ukulele, playing other instruments and it helps tell the story.”

Wade Elkins (Bienen ‘18) plays Pinkalicious’ brother, Peter in the show. He said the additional music makes the show “even more fun” for adults and enhances the story and characters.

“(It) really gives a picture of who this family is and makes it more fun in the process,” said Elkins, who attended Bienen’s graduate program.

The play’s cast also features three other NU alumni and students as understudies. Recent graduate Sarah Ohlson (Communication ‘18) is one of them.

Ohslon understudies the roles of Pinkalicious’ friend Allison and another character called Dr. Wink. She said the production has been “an absolute blast” to be a part of.

“This show is so wonderful because every single character goes through an arc which is really exciting,” Ohlson said. “It’s full of life and happiness. It makes me laugh and smile every single time.”

Ohlson also credits Northwestern’s musical theater certificate program for the “incredible training” it gave her. She said her time in the program made her better prepared for “Pinkalicious.”

“There’s an emphasis on musicianship,” Ohlson said. “I had such great musicianship training there that I could hit the ground running when it came to this (show).”

The other two Northwestern understudies are Alexander Rothfield (Communication ‘19) and Grace Bobber (Communication ‘19).

Though the show is based off a children’s book and is largely geared towards a young audience, Elkins added that entire families are able to enjoy the play and resonate with the lessons the Pinkerton family learn together.

“The parents learn to have some fun and to remember right, we’re a family first,” Elkins said. “It isn’t always about paying the bills and making sure everything’s orderly. Sometimes it’s just about having fun together.”

Pinkalicious will run at the Marriott Theatre until August 19.

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