Logo.
Barbie Live! in Fairytopia is the live stage version of the widely popular Barbie: Fairytopia movie, released in spring 2005. It is a musical fully staged theater production directed by Eric Schaeffer with original songs and dancing and has the characters from the film. It is two 30-minute acts divided by a 15-minute intermission. It toured 80 American cities from late 2005-2006.The songs in Barbie Live in Fairytopia were written by Susan Di Lallo and Robbie Roth, and a soundtrack album was released for the show with original sound recordings: Songs From Barbie Fairytopia.
Plot[]
The Pixies are flying and tease Elina, a wingless flower fairy, for not having wings, but Elina's friend Topaz convinces her that she has friends she just hasn't met yet. Elina goes to a fairy named Azura's cottage, and Azura sees the rainbow in Elina's eyes. She tells her she has the "Fairytopia mark of greatness". Meanwhile, an angry evil fairy named Laverna and her loyal assistant Fungi create a spell that will cause flying sickness, the inability to fly, on the fairies of Fairytopia.
Elina wakes to find that her pink flower home is sick and her fairy friends cannot fly, which is due to Laverna's spell. Elina thinks Azura, a Guardian Fairy, can help, so she journeys to find her with Bibble, a puffball, and Hue, her butterfly friend. She's challenged along the way by the evil Laverna, who wants to take over Fairytopia from the Enchantress, the ruler of Fairytopia. At one point, Laverna sends firebirds after Elina, who escapes and meets a merman named Prince Nalu in a place called Crystal Cove. It makes Elina realise the power of friendship and meets characters who test her courage. Along the way, Elina meets Dahila by showing her the friends she hasn't met, something Azura and Topaz told her about. Elina saves Fairytopia, and the Enchantress gives her a gift, her very own fairy wings.
Production[]
Girls auditioning to be Barbie.
The production was created by Mattel and Clear Channel Entertainment, and director Eric Schaeffer thought the most important thing was to get children to go to the theatre. He thinks he got the call to do Barbie Live in Fairytopia because he did a 34-minute "Snow White" presentation in Disneyland.
Auditions for the show were held in New York City in December 2005. There was an open casting call from December 5 to December 7. Actresses from across the country that were auditioning for Barbie lined up outside the Good Morning America studios. They had to sing to Eric Schaeffer and were watched by other auditionees.
The stage of Barbie Live.
Erin Elizabeth Coors auditioned and eventually won the role of Barbie as Elina. Her agent submitted her, and she was called back to represent the first-ever human representation of Barbie. The final cast came together and rehearsed in early March. The actors were described as seasoned and experienced.
The award-winning production team worked hard to create awe-inspiring stage environments, and it was rumored that over 100 pounds of glitter had been used. There were aerial scenes that lasted for several minutes. The production was described as "incredible" by Erin Elizabeth Coors and "a once-in-a-lifetime experience".
Characters[]
Cast[]
Erin Elizabeth Coors, who plays Elina.
- Erin Elizabeth Coors as Barbie/Elina
- Stacie Bono as Laverna and The Enchantress
- Felicia Curry as Topaz
- Emily Tello as Azura
- Rebecca Larkin as Dandelion and Dahlia
- Jonathan Scott Meza as Hue and Prince Nalu
- Christopher Brady as Fungus 1/Pixie 1
- Stephanie Linn as Fungus 2/Pixie 2
- Tara Burno as Female Swing
- Ashley Spencer as Female Swing
- Firebirds
- Bibble
Character Designs[]
Elina's outfit.
The character's outfits were designed by Tony-nominated costume designer Gregg Barnes and a team of other designers. Gregg Barnes was thrilled because he considers Barbie a fashion phenomenon. The costume for Elina includes 15,000 beads and sequins and over 30 types of fabric. Twenty people worked on the dress for over 350 hours. 11 sets of wings were made and a mermaid tail and costumes for other characters such as Hue and Fungi. All of the fairies have their faces exposed so their expressions can be seen.
The Crew[]
- Eric Schaeffer as Director
- Lee Armitage as Assistant Director
- Susan DiLallo as Author/Co-Lyricist
- Robbie Roth as Composer/Co-Lyricst
- James Kronzer as Scenic Designer
- regg Barnes as Costume Designer
- Christopher d'Amboise as Choreographer
- Chris Lee as Lighting Designer
- Kai Harada as Sound Designer
- Patrick Vaccariello as Music Supervisor
- Live Nation, Stacey Burns as Producer
- Mattel, Barry Waldo & Michael Cooper as Producers
- Alan Wasser Associates, Lane Marsh, Connie Yung as General Management
- Juniper Street Productions, Inc. Guy Kwan, Elena Soderblum as Production Management
- Stuart Howard, Amy Schecter and Paul Hardt as Casting Director
- Trinity Wheeler as Production Stage Manager
- Donavan Dolan as Assistant Stage Manager
- Cliff Kellas as Company Manager
- Josh Zeigler as Assistant Company Manager
- Tim Bovaconti and Robbie Roth as Guitars
- John Obercian as Drums
- Sean O'Connor as Horns
- Kevin Fox as Strings
- Robbie Roth as Keyboard Programming
- Robbie Roth as Music Producer and Arranger
- Eric Ratz as Music Engineer
- Kenny Luong as Music Editor
- Thom Cadley as Music Mixer
- Mark Rinaldi Asst. as Music Mixer
- Music Produced & Composed by: Robbie Roth
- Original Book by Susan DiLallo
- Package Design: Elizabeth Yoon
- Lyrics by: Susan DiLallo & Robbie Roth
- Music Recorded at Vespa Studio, in Toronto, Canada
- Music mixed at Sony Music Studios, in New York, NY
- Music Mastered at Georgetown Masters, in Nashville, TN
- Supervising Producers for Live Nation: Steve Sterling
- Line Producer: Dawn Olejar
- Photos by John Marcus
- Special Thanks to PJ Lewis and Veronica Villarreal
Tours & Dates[]
| City | Venue | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| York, PA | Pullo Theatre | March 28-29, 2006 |
| Columbus, OH | Palace Theatre | April 1-2, 2006 |
| Detroit, MI | Fox Theatre | April 5-9, 2006 |
| Chicago, IL | Auditorium Theatre | April 11-16, 2006 |
| Boston, MA | Wang Theatre | April 19-23, 2006 |
| Muncie, IN | Emmons Auditorium | April 25-26, 2006 |
| Wallingford, CT | Chevrolet Theatre | April 28-30, 2006 |
| Erie, PA | Warner Theatre | May 3-4 2006 |
| Buffalo, NY | Shea's Buffalo | May 5-7, 2006 |
| Fort Wayne, IN | Embassy Theatre | May 9-10, 2006 |
| Memphis, TN | Orpheum Theatre | May 12-14, 2006 |
| South Bend, IN | Morris Auditorium | May 16-17, 2006 |
| Springfield, MO | Hammons Hall | May 16-17, 2006 |
| Milwaukee, WI | Marcus Performing Arts Center | May 19-21, 2006 |
| East Lansing, MI | Wharton Center | May 30-31, 2006 |
| Baltimore, MD | New Hippodrome | May 31 - June 4, 2006 |
| Norfolk, VA | Chrysler Hall | June 2-4, 2006 |
| Knoxville, TN | Civic Auditorium | June 6-7, 2006 |
| Fort Lauderdale, FL | Broward Performing Arts Center | June 9-11, 2006 |
| Melbourne, FL | Maxwell King Center | June 13-14, 2006 |
| Tampa, FL | Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center | June 16-18, 2006 |
| Washington, D.C. | Warner Theatre | June 21-25, 2006 |
| Las Vegas, NV | The Orleans | July 5-9, 2006 |
| Colorado Springs, CO | Pikes Center | July 11-12, 2006 |
| Richmond, VA | Landmark Theatre | July 11-12, 2006 |
| Charlotte, NC | Belk Theatre | July 14-16, 2006 |
| Dayton, OH | Schuster Theatre | July 18-19, 2006 |
| Cincinnati, OH | The Aronoff | July 21-23, 2006 |
| Peoria, IL | Civic Center | July 25-26, 2006 |
| Cleveland, OH | Palace Theatre | July 28-30, 2006 |
| Little Rock, AR | Robinson Auditorium | August 1-2, 2006 |
| Louisville, KY | Palace Theatre | August 4-6, 2006 |
| Fort Worth, TX | Bass Hall | August 8-13, 2006 |
| Los Angeles, CA | Kodak Theatre | August 16-20, 2006 |
| Fresno, CA | Saroyan Theatre | August 16-20, 2006 |
| San Diego, CA | Civic Center | August 25-27, 2006 |
| Sacramento, CA | Community Center | August 30 - September 3, 2006 |
Gallery[]
Videos[]
Trivia[]
- Erin Elizabeth Coors, who played Elina, appeared in shows such as Fiddler on the Roof, Guys and Dolls, Schoolhouse Rock, and Chicago. She was the first actress to play Barbie in a nationally touring stage show. Coors trained in the arts since eighth grade and has always been a Barbie fan. She considered it an "honor" to play Elina in the show.
- This is the first Barbie live show, the second is Barbie LIVE!.
- May 16-17, 2006 Morris Auditorium in South Bend, IN was Original This City and it was Changing the City Replaced the Same Date is Hammons Hall in Springfield, MO & July 11-12, 2006 Pikes Center in Colorado Springs, CO was Original This City and it was Changing the City Replaced the Same Date is Landmark Theatre in Richmond, VA.
- The Cancelled Tour Dates & Cities are Pullo Theatre in York, PA - Wharton Center in East Lansing, MI - Chrysler Hall in Norfolk, VA - The Orleans in Las Vegas, NV - Pikes Center in Colorado Springs, CO - Landmark Theatre in Richmond, VA - Belk Theatre in Charlotte, NC - Robinson Auditorium in Little Rock, AR - Saroyan Theatre in Fresno, CA - Civic Center in San Diego, CA & Community Center in Sacramento, CA.