Cape and Crown Co. brings magic to birthday parties

Creating fairy tale moments is the name of the game for Anna Ricci, owner of Cape and Crown Co. Entertainment.

Twenty-three actors, trained in acting at Southeast Missouri State University, portray princess and superhero characters for birthday parties and other events as part of Ricci's party entertainment business based in Cape Girardeau.

She created Cape and Crown Co. in winter 2018, recruiting students from the Jeanine Larson Dobbins Conservatory of Theatre & Dance to perform at children's birthday parties. Princesses and superheroes may sing, dance, read stories with the children and train partygoers in becoming a princess or hero.

A Southeast alumna herself, Ricci graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Theater with a minor in entrepreneurship. Ricci said she first got her start in "princess-ing" at the annual SoutheastHEALTH Princess Tea fundraiser -- she said she always portrayed a character similar to Jasmine from the Disney film "Aladdin" at the events. After moving to Nashville, Tennessee, to pursue a job at a professional party entertainment company, Ricci said she realized it was something Cape Girardeau lacked.

"I love bringing the magic to them," she said, emphasizing the most rewarding part of the job is the children's reactions to seeing their favorite characters.

Cast member Dani Bahn, portraying a snow princess, embraces a child during a Cape and Crown event.Submitted

To ensure each character looks authentic, Ricci said she purchases basic wigs and customizes them to fit the look of each princess or hero. She'll cut and style the wig to a certain length and spends around two hours styling wigs after parties. All costumes are ordered online to ensure accuracy of character, Ricci said, and have corsets to fit a variety of body types.

While Cape and Crown Co. paused operations briefly in response to COVID-19, Ricci said it is in the process of reopening this month. While she said it's important to keep her entertainment business running, Ricci said her largest focus is on protecting employees and clients from COVID-19.

She said she is creating custom masks to match each princess and hero outfit; they'll be a new accessory as characters visit birthday parties this summer.