Youth theater presents “Dear Edwina, Jr.”

Edwina Spoonapple has problems standard with many 10-year-olds. She feels eclipsed by her talented siblings and she suffers the over-eager passions of a Boy. Not everyone really understands her drive for the weekend shows she stars in, directs and produces at her home with the help of friends and family and even strangers.

“Dear Edwina, Jr.,” a Whidbey Playhouse youth theater production, relies on the decades-old Judy Garland/Mickey Rooney movie genre of “Let’s put on a show!” Such productions require plenty of local elements and local support — just what Whidbey Playhouse accomplishes with “Dear Edwina, Jr.,” which is filled with local kids on stage and local adults behind the scenes directing and choreographing. Not to mention keeping control — without squashing the creative drive — of an exuberant group of kids.

With song, dance and tween-aged melodrama, the show goes on in PawPaw, Mich. A talent scout is rumored to be in the audience. Edwina’s hoping her show will be picked up to fill an empty slot in Advice-a-plooza being held in a nearby city. That addition ratchet’s up Edwina’s already tense day, but the talent scout only surfaces briefly. The real show is all Edwina and her friends.

By casting Taya Boonstra as Edwina, Whidbey Playhouse uncovered an actress with a pure voice, who nails Edwina’s moods and passions without overacting. In fact, it’s hard to tell Boonstra’s acting at all because she so understands her character.

“I really thought about Edwina and imagined how she, as a person, would react to different situations,” Boonstra said after a rehearsal.

Time developing her persona paid off. When Boonstra, as Edwina, tosses her hair and glowers at people or pleads with cast members to find their places, every motion is natural.

And if Boonstra’s voice wavers in a few places or sounds a bit thin, who cares? She’s 10-years-old and starring in a play — a musical to boot. That’s a lot of pressure for even the most seasoned actor. Besides, every star must get their stage presence somewhere. Why not in Oak Harbor?

As cast members read letters sent in by confused kids, Edwina handles their problems with empathy, humor and solid advice. The show covers everything from how to handle strange food at parties and what to do with obnoxious guests to the importance of greeting new people with grace. Situations every age faces, not just kids.

Meet Edwina

“Dear Edwina, Jr. “opens Friday, July 30, at 7:30 p.m. Other performances are Saturday, July 31, at 7:30 p.m.; Sunday, Aug. 1, at 2:30 p.m.; Friday, Aug. 6, and Saturday, Aug. 7, at 7:30 p.m. All seats are $8. Call 679-2237 or go online to www.whidbeyplayhouse.com.