Like mother like daughter . . . or not? Addie Fankhauser, left, of Auburn, Nebraska, portrayed Maleficent’s daughter, Mal, who has to decide if she wants to continue in her mother’s evil footsteps or not. Erica Taylor of Rock Port played Maleficent, right.

Another Auburn, Nebraska, actor taking the Liberty Theatre stage for Disney’s “Descendants: The Musical” was Kyle Jones (holding the microphone). Kyle played Ben, the son of Belle and The Beast. Isa Kroeger, second from left, had a leading role as Audrey, the daughter of Sleeping Beauty, as well as Sophie Storm, third from left, as Jane, Fairy Godmother’s daughter.

Briar Daugherty of Rock Port played Jafar’s son Jay in Liberty Theatre’s production of Disney’s “Descendants: The Musical.”

Frank Kroeger was one of the young local actors with a leading role in Liberty Theatre’s production of Disney’s “Descendants: The Musical.” He was Cruella De Vil’s son, Carlos.

Kinsley Gerdes of Auburn, Nebraska, portrayed Evie, the daughter of Grimhilde. She did a great job of playing a ditz who is actually very smart and her singing voice was equally as talented.

Molly Carpenter, left, played Snow White’s evil nemesis Grimhilde and Rick Sons, right, portrayed Jafar from Aladdin.

The ages of the actors and actresses may have averaged a bit younger than the norm, but the quality of entertainment was still superb at Liberty Theatre’s first weekend production of Disney’s “Descendants: The Musical.” The musical is packed with characters providing comedic relief and hit songs, many performed by teenagers or young adults.

Music Theatre International says, “Imprisoned on the Isle of the Lost – home of the most infamous villains who ever lived – the teenaged children of Maleficent, the Evil Queen, Jafar, and Cruella De Vil have never ventured off the island . . . until now. When the four troublemakers are sent to attend prep school alongside the children of beloved Disney heroes, they have a difficult choice to make: should they follow in their parents’ wicked footsteps or learn to be good?”

This year’s cast was led by longtime Liberty thespian Erica Taylor playing Maleficent and newcomer Addie Fankhauser portraying Maleficent’s daughter, Mal. To say the voices of these two blew the crowds away would be an understatement. Even though she is known for her powerful pipes and extraordinary acting abilities, Erica surprised the audience this time with her spectacularly “mean” performance. Known as one of Tarkio Elementary’s favorite “nice” teachers, it was a surprise to see her doing a perfect incarnation of Maleficent and her evil ways. But maybe not a shock to her friends who know her as being an avid lover of all things Disney, one who grew up watching the classics, which included many “evil” characters. New to the Liberty Theatre stage this year was Addie, an Auburn, Nebraska, stage transplant. And boy are we Atchison Countians lucky to have this performer stepping into our theatre. Recently, Addie was a top 10 finisher in the Jimmy Awards, also known as The National High School Musical Theatre Awards. There’s no doubt at all that her singing and acting will take her far from the Midwest to entertain the masses for years to come.

Not to be outdone, Atchison County’s Kristi (Sons) Spellman and Molly Carpenter kept the audience cackling with their antics as Cruella De Vil (Kristi) and The Evil Queen Grimhilde (Molly). Honestly, when you get these two together on the Liberty Theatre stage, laughter is always sure to follow. They can easily play any part and these two roles were no different. Playing their children were Frank Kroeger as Carlos (Cruella’s son) and Kinsley Gerdes as Evie (Grimhilde’s daughter). This is Frank’s sixth time performing on the Liberty Theatre stage. Although in the movies Cruella is not a nice person, in this she’s an overly protective mother. Kristi and Frank were a perfect duo of the annoying mother and the son who tries to avoid all the attention. Kinsley is another Auburn stage transplant but is also an upcoming star to be watched. She played Evie’s fake airhead with brains to a tee and her voice was equally as talented.

The last of the “dangerous duos” is Rick Sons as Jafar and Briar Daugherty as Jafar’s son, Jay. Rick is no stranger to the Liberty Theatre stage, having performed in seven other productions and he’s also well-known for his singing performance with Country Gospel Reunion. This was Briar’s first time taking the stage with the adult cast, but he has been in several youth theatre productions. He’s also a newcomer to watch. Rick also rounded out the cast as Professor Maurice.

Another leading man in this production was yet a third performer from Auburn, Kyle Jones. Kyle takes the Liberty Theatre stage as Ben, the son of Belle (Hadleigh Jones) and The Beast (Ryan Harms). Ben is next in line to the throne, but wants to improve the lives of all by inviting the children of the “evils” to attend his school. Kyle does a perfect job of playing this humble, smitten, and courageous teen with smooth dancing skills and a voice to boot.

Adding to the laughs are Okema Galston (Fairy Godmother), Cooper Daugherty (Chad), Isa Kroeger (Audrey), Lane Seeley (Doug), Katey Kroeger (Coach), and Tiana Jones (Snow White). Okema and Sophie Storm (Jane – Fairy Godmother’s daughter) do a great job of portraying a mother too busy to pay attention to her daughter while attending to official school business and a good daughter just wanting her mother’s love. Cooper, Lane, and Isa keep the audience rolling with their slapstick comedy as two goofy teenage boys and one overly dramatic teenage girl. Even though Katey’s “Coach” is only a small part in the production, Katey’s acting skills and looks create such laughter that can only be described best as Saturday Night Live Kate McKinnon’s doppelganger. Tiana Jones adds some hoots as a “modern” Snow White.

Also making the production a success are: cast members – Ava Oswald (Royal Page), Greyson Sperber (Royal Guard and Smitten Kid), Cora Hirner (Isle Kid, Auradon Student, and Principal Dancer), Kinsley Nuckolls (Isle Kid, Auradon Student, and Principal Dancer), Elaina Kroeger (Isle Kid, Auradon Student, and Principal Dancer), Isaac Dougherty (Isle Kid and Auradon Student), Kennedi Seiter (Isle Kid and Auradon Student), Alexi Stoner (Isle Kid and Auradon Student), Maddie Henggeler (Isle Kid and Auradon Student), and Blaykleigh Daugherty (Isle Kid and Auradon Student); orchestra members – Abby Palmer (pit conductor/trumpet), Richard Boettner (piano), Andy Wiederholt (bass), Maddie Fenimore and Julie Hurst (reeds), John Salehi (trombone), Kristen Lucas (low bass), Greg Haddock (guitar), and Liam Kessler (drums); and crew members – Kristi Spellman (staging director and set design), Kaci Jones and Abby Palmer (music directors), Harlee Pritt (choreographer), Molly Carpenter (lighting design), Beth Glidden (lighting operation), Scott Deatz (sound and set construction), Hadleigh Jones (graffiti artist), Audrey Dougherty (backstage crew leader), and Lee Harms (curtain operator).

You can catch the last three performances of Liberty Theatre’s production this Friday and Saturday, June 26 and 27, at 7:00 p.m. or Sunday, June 28, at 2:30 p.m. Liberty Theatre is located inside the Atchison County Memorial Building, 417 S. Main, Rock Port, Missouri. You can buy your ticket at the door or you can call the box office at 660-744-5599 and reserve as well. Prices are $15 for adults and $5 for ages 12 and under.