Category: Theater

Theater

In the Heights- Portland Center Stage

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Oh, Lin Manuel Miranda- how we love thee! As soon as I saw this production would be happening in Portland, I began anxiously awaiting day tickets would go on sale. The day finally came, and I snatched up tickets for myself, the kids, and the husband.

If you are not familiar, Lin Manuel Miranda started writing this musical while still in college. It eventually found its way to Broadway, winning several Tonys and changing the face of Broadway.

The story takes place in Washington Heights, a primarily Dominican and Puerto Rican neighborhood in New York City. It is set over 4th of July weekend. It is full of salsa and hip hop music, humor, dance, and fun. Both Chicken and Nugget really enjoyed visually exploring the realistic set of this particular production. A working crosswalk sign is prominent, which they found fascinating. How did they get it on stage? Where was it plugged in? Would the cast have to wait for the walking signal before they could cross the stage? These questions and more kept them quite busy before the show started. The store fronts are very realistic and it really looks like a neighborhood corner. The costumes were spot on for the time period and region, and the shoes seriously deserved their own mention in the cast list.

But the show also highlights important social issues related to the formation of community and family, financial strain, diversity, ambition, the hopes of immigrant parents for their children, the path for children of immigrants to live up to their parent’s dreams, and what exactly “home” means. Lines such as “why learn the language if they still won’t hear you?” among others solidly hit home in more poignant moments. This show is so timely and it was wonderful to see immigrants represented in such a positive and respectful light. The show and cast masterfully build and release emotion and tension. They truly take you on a journey right along with them.

The show doesn’t shy away from the incorporation of Spanish in the music lyrics or dialog. Being bilingual myself and with Chicken and Nugget in a Spanish immersion school, we loved seeing the representation of people, culture, language, and even flags on stage. After the show was over, Nugget commented “it was like seeing maestra on stage!”

While Nugget went and thoroughly loved it, this is not a play geared for young children and I would not recommend it for a young child’s first exposure to theater. There is quite a bit of swearing (Nugget said it should be renamed “The Play with Lots of Swears”), a fight at a nightclub, sexual innuendo (that went completely over the heads of both the kiddos). That being said, though, Nugget was trying to process what was happening. He asked lots of good questions during and after the show in his efforts to put it all together.

Chicken, age 9, came closer to appreciating the themes of the show, but still missed some of the intricacies and just doesn’t have enough life experience to understand all of the references to broader social issues.

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However, this show could be a great conversation started with older children. Themes are brought up in a thoughtful and impactful way that music somehow makes more accessible.

And if you want a night out without the kiddos, this is the perfect show. It was amazing and is definitely in my top 5! I highly recommend it for the grown-up contingent amongst us.

And heads up- a movie version of this production will be released on June 26, 2020. Guess where we will be that day!

So….

What it’s not… recommended for young children, in a venue friendly to young kids (Nugget is over the required age but we were stopped MULTIPLE times and asked how old he was and were actively discouraged from taking him in. I did not cave and have no regrets. I seriously feel better about him having seen this show than Star Wars. Or Captain Marvel. Or SpiderMan. You get the point).

What it is… beautiful, powerful, fun, funny, thought provoking, telling the story of communities not often seen on stage, bilingual, extremely talented cast, moving, amazing music, timely

Do we recommend it? For older children or a date night out- yes, yes yes! The dialog moves quickly and it may be worth a listen of the soundtrack before your visit

Tickets can be found here: https://www.pcs.org

Theater

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory- Broadway Across America

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Charlie and the Chocolate Factory the musical recently made its way to our town, so obviously we had to go. Chicken read the book at school and enjoyed it, although I wouldn’t say it was her favorite. I LOVE the movie, but the kids have never seen it. So I went in hopeful it would do my favorite story proud, without expecting to be blown away.

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This is definitely an updated version. For example, Mike Teevee is hooked on video games and Violet refers to herself as the Queen of Pop and wears a velour tracksuit. But the characters all maintained their core traits, which was nice.

Overall, I think the musical is less “creepy” than the movie. Mr. Slugworth is gone and all the horrifying images from the boat scene are mercifully absent. There are a couple of added elements that could be disturbing to younger or more sensitive children. After Violet turns into a blueberry, she pops. It happens off stage, but you hear the sound and bluish goo (which looked a lot like purple yarn) shoots onto the stage and covers her father.

In another scene, before Veruca is determined to be a bad egg, she dances with squirrels. They are actors in all black squirrel costumes and have glowing green eyes. The rats then tear a mannequin of her apart and stand holding a separate body part.

Each of these instances are clearly fake and are done in a way that holds no resemblance to reality. But it is still a bit gross and the squirrels could be scary for some. Nugget had a lot of questions about what happened to poor Violet and Veruca, but he was not scared at all. In fact, for some reason I don’t understand, the rats were a favorite part for both of my weird kiddos.

Something about the Oompa Loompas was a bit cringy. Honestly, I don’t know how one could handle the Oompa Loompas in a non-cringy way in this day in age, but it still wasn’t my favorite moment.

What I did really enjoy was the use of technology on the set. Digital projection was used to create colorful, fluid, dimensional and visually stunning scenes unlike anything I have seen on stage.

Chicken and Nugget found it absolutely hilarious. Chicken was laughing out loud, and Nugget was belly laughing and cackling away. At one point I was afraid he was going to stop breathing he was laughing so hard! During a moment he found particularly amusing, he leaned over and and whispered “Dad should be here! This is really something!” I enjoyed it more than I expected, but it wasn’t my favorite show we have seen.

You can check here to find out if Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (or other national tours) will be heading your way: https://www.broadwayacrossamerica.com/

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Theater

Wicked- Broadway Across America

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For a family of theater nerds, we were totally late to the Wicked party.  I think the last time it came through town I was at the “wait.  You want me to make it out of the house?  With both kids?  And show up somewhere on time?  And have them be quiet for 2.5 hours?  Are you insane?!?!” stage of motherhood.  So when Wicked found its way back to Portland this summer via a Broadway national tour, I was over the moon.  We were off to the Emerald City!!

I have to be honest.  I may have overdone it.  That morning, Chicken had a birthday party to go to and a wall of rocks to climb.  My job was to take her, loop back to get Nugget and my friend, pick up Chicken, go to Wicked, have the husband pick up Nugget and take him to a Timbers game while the girls headed off to Melting Pot for dinner.  Oh.  And our favorite local bookstore was hosting a Harry Potter event we totally had to stop at.  And we needed treats from the bakery a couple blocks from there having a Harry Potter baked goods day.  We clearly had to go there. What could possibly go wrong?  Luckily all the stars aligned and we did all the things!

If you don’t know the story of Wicked, it’s basically the story of the Wizard of Oz before Dorothy shows up.  We learn about Galinda and Elphaba, as well as their relationship and how they developed into the people they eventually became.  We learn more about the flying monkeys, the Tin Man and the Scarecrow, as well as the Wizard himself.  The story encourages us to question stereotypes and what exactly we consider good and bad.

I was a little concerned Nugget would find the flying monkeys to be frightening, and wasn’t sure it would be his cup of tea in general.  I wouldn’t say it was his favorite play we have been to, but Galinda descending onto the stage in a giant metal circle complete with bubble machines definitely caught his interest.  He liked the dragon hanging over the stage, enjoyed several of the songs, and had lots (and lots and lots and lots) of questions.  And the flying monkeys were his favorite part!  Chicken, on the other hand, adored it.  She was on the edge of her seat most of the show and has been singing Defying Gravity ad nauseum since we saw it.  She also had lots of thoughts about who was the good witch and who was the bad witch, although she thought it was a bit silly to worry about since the Wizard was clearly the real villain.  Chicken said it was in her top two of plays we have seen.

There is a lot for kids to enjoy in this show.  The sets are huge and elaborate, the dancing is great, the costumes are beautiful, and there is something to look at at all times.  It is incredibly visually appealing.  It is a spectacle that we all enjoyed witnessing.  There are some intense parts that younger or more sensitive children may find overwhelming.  The flying monkeys can be a bit scary, and sometimes the noise and lighting and stage smoke combined during the use of the the dragon and the Wizard’s facade could be a bit much for some.  I think a lot of Nugget’s questions came from some of the complexities of the story line and not quite grasping all of it.  But he got enough of it to get the general idea and could provide a basic summary of the plot afterwards.  There are a few slower parts and a few ballads that lost his interest (and mine, quite honestly), but then humor or a change of pace would quickly re-engage him.

I think Nugget was a bit on the young end for the show, but a mature child of 8 or 9 could probably get a lot out of it.

Overall, it was a great show and I am glad we went.

What it’s not: suitable for very young children, a retelling of the Wizard of Oz

What it is: a longer musical (a little over 2.5 hours), beautiful, visually stunning, amazing songs, a must-see for any blossoming theater lover, a fun and memorable date with a young person in your life, visually and auditorily intense/overwhelming at times

Do we recommend it?  For the right child, yes!

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Theater

Matilda- Lakewood Center for the Arts

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We recently had the opportunity to see one of our favorite people, as well as some other familiar faces, perform in Matilda at Lakewood Center for the Arts. Based on my absolute favorite Roald Dahl novel, Matilda is the story of a brilliant little girl who lives in the world of books.  Her parents to not recognize her specialness, or if they do, it is only to resent it.  Matilda develops some unique abilities, which she uses to help her teacher, Miss Honey, with whom she develops a loving and nurturing relationship.

We had actually never been to Lakewood, which is nestled in the city of Lake Oswego.  The property is quite pretty, so we took advantage of the grassy areas to stretch our legs and smell the flowers (literally) as we waited for friends to arrive.

I had taken Chicken to the Broadway national tour a couple of years ago, and I have to say, it wasn’t my favorite.  There were some really cool parts, but overall it was a bit shouty and angry for my taste, especially compared to the sweetness of the book.  Luckily, we had a completely different experience with this production.  The kids were fantastic, the singing was great, and it had a completely different feel than the previous version we had seen.  The script and songs were the same, but it was much lighter and much more enjoyable.  The sets and costumes were simple, but got the job done.  There was some interesting lighting and use of digital media, which was nice to see.

The entire cast was very talented.  We alway really enjoy performances where young kids blow you away with their singing abilities, and this definitely fit the bill.  The stand out was Danielle Valentine, who played the father, Mr. Wormwood.  She embraced the gender bending role and played it to perfection.  After intermission, she came out and engaged in some audience interaction before launching into a mostly solo song about all the benefits of television (the son helps out with a periodic strum of the ukulele and joined in each time the father says ‘telly’).  Whether planned or not, the entire audience was laughing after Mr. Wormwood talks about all the dangers of reading only to call upon a woman who said “I’m with SMART”(Start Making a Reader Today).  The ensuing interaction was perfect.

Overall, I found this production of Matilda to be much more kid-friendly than the national tour version we saw.  Chicken and Nugget both enjoyed it and we listen to the Revolting Children song on repeat the whole way home.  None of us can nail Bruce’s trademark note in that song, but we sure had fun trying.  I am sad to report that Nugget has also been trying to master Bruce’s burp.  You win some, you lose some.

If your child is a fan of the book, they will likely enjoy the play.  Just be aware the story does deviate some from the book and there are some darker themes.

If you are interested in seeing the show, you can find tickets here:

https://www.lakewood-center.org/pages/lakewood-plays

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Theater

Into the Woods- Broadway Rose

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When I told the kiddos were going to go see Into the Woods, they had no idea what I was talking about.  So I rattled off the fairy tale characters they would see in the play, and Nugget asked,  “so it’s a Disney movie?”  Um… not quite.

Today I loaded them into the car, still confused, and we headed to Broadway Rose.  If you’re not familiar with the story, a variety of characters from familiar fairy tales- Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel, Jack (commonly associated with a beanstalk), princes, etc., come to life in all their flawed glory.  In the first act, they find their happily ever after.  In the second act, they face the consequences for their decisions and their actions.  While the first act is fun and silly and definitely fairy tale-esque, the second act is much darker.  And some of those happily ever afters start to unravel.  Just like poor Rapunzel’s mental health.

This show is simply amazing.  The set is simple but effective, the cast is beyond talented, and a single piano player plays the entire score by himself- on stage.  The props are delightfully and intentionally campy- a wooden harp that doesn’t play music, wooden farm animals wheeled around on wooden bases, etc.   There’s humor, intelligence, silliness, and life lessons all wrapped up in songs and music that will stick with you long after you leave the theater.

While I was probably the biggest fan of the three of us, Chicken and Nugget both enjoyed the show.  Chicken was frequently on the edge of her seat, and Nugget really loved the cow.  I know.  A lot of the humor was over their head, but they both giggled at different parts and remained engaged for the entire performance.

There are a few instances of sexual innuendo as well as implied violence.  However, most of the violence takes place off stage or is lightened in some way- like the use of long red ribbons to represent blood.  It could still be scary for young kids with active imaginations, though.  Poor Nugget really thought one of the step-sisters was getting a toe cut off each show.  He was relieved to have that cleared up!

The show runs about 3 hours, including an intermission.  The length of the show and the relative darkness of the second half may not make it the perfect introduction to theater for young children.  Older children (upper elementary school and above) will likely love it.

So….

What it’s not: appropriate for young children who can’t sit for a 3 hour production or who may be traumatized by some of fairy tale characters meeting an unpleasant demise

What it is: funny, engaging, full of incredible acting and singing, a twist on classic stories and finding a new happily ever after

Do we recommend it?  For older children, definitely!  It’s a really fun and well done show and I’m very glad we went!

The show runs through June 30.  You can find tickets here:  https://www.broadwayrose.org/into-the-woods

 

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Theater

Beauty and the Beast in Concert- Beaverton Civic Theatre

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Chicken and Nugget LOVE Beauty and the Beast.  We have seen the animated version, the live action version, the incredible production at Oregon Shakespeare Festival, and the local Pixie Dust Productions Christmas show.  Even after all of this, Nugget still periodically asks when the show “is coming back to town.”  After nearly a year-and-a-half of surviving on the movie versions alone, he was finally in luck.

Beaverton Civic Theatre is doing an “in concert” adaptation.  I didn’t know what this meant at first, but it basically means they do the script and the songs without the props, staging, or other production elements.  The entire cast was dress in all black, used only simple movement, and otherwise relied entirely on their voices and acting.  When I tried to explain this to Chicken ahead of time, she said “I don’t need choreography.  I just need real acting.”  Diva.

The show was very well cast and it is one of the strongest shows we have seen at Beaverton Civic theater.  Because it is such a familiar story to so many, it is easy for your imagination to fill in the set around them.  The actors were very strong and there were some beautiful voices.  It was clear that the cast was having fun.  I think Nugget missed the glitz and glam that come along with fancy costumes and elaborate staging, but he still smiled and laughed.  Chicken and I thoroughly enjoyed it and thought it was very well done.  They did a lot with very little, and the end result was impressive.

It is the full-length version, meaning it is close to 2.5 hours long with an intermission, so keep that in mind when deciding whether or not to take your little.  Very young children may also miss the familiar costumes and sets, but older children will likely love it.

So…

What it’s not- fancy staging and costumes, short

What it is- very well done, talented local cast, a great community theater to support, very reasonably priced ($10), a well acted rendition of a classic Disney favorite.

 

 

 

 

 

Theater

School of Rock the Musical

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I love the movie School of Rock, but have never gotten around to showing it to my kids.  When I saw this on the schedule for Portland’s current Broadway Across America schedule, I figured it was a bit over the kiddos’ heads and figured it would be a good date night for me and the husband.  Then, of course, Chicken saw the ads and decided she had to see it.  When I asked her why she was so interested, she said “Mom.  It’s kids in a band.  Come on!  That’s awesome!”

So, being that the Easter Bunny who visits our family happens to be very supportive of the arts, tickets magically showed up in her Easter basket to a resounding “yes!!!” when the envelope was opened.

This weekend the day finally arrived.  I remained skeptical of our Easter Bunny’s judgement, but off we went.  To be quite honest, my expectations were pretty low.  It’s a fun movie, but could it really be translated to quality theater? I doubted it.

But it was so fun!  The story line was extremely close to the movie, and even though it’s been a while since I’ve watched the movie, some of the lines seemed very, very familiar.  If you haven’t seen the movie, a wanna-be rock star, Dewey Finn, pretends to be a teacher and takes over a class at an elite prep school.  Once he figures out the kids have musical talent, he scraps all academics and begins preparing them for a Battle of the Bands competition.  Over the course of the show, they all help each other grow and the kids feel more understood by their parents.  Awwwww.  The songs from the movie are in the play, as well as some additional songs.  I often don’t love songs that get added for the plays, but in this case I enjoyed them all.

The kids in the play were INCREDIBLY talented.  Like, above and beyond talented.  The kids were great singers and amazing musicians.  And the girl the played Tomika- holy cow!  That girl is going places!  The adult playing Dewey had played the role on the West End, and he was fantastic.  He did a good job keeping the character very consistent with the movie without it feeling like a copy of Jack Black.

The set was very dynamic with very frequent changes, moving us from the school, to an apartment, to a bar, to a music competition.  It’s all done quickly and seamlessly.  The transition from play to “concert” is fun, too.  The music and cast were so fantastic, it often did feel like a real concert.  You could feel the energy in the audience as they cheered a clapped along.

There is some swearing in the show, and there is rudeness from both adults and kids.  Nothing that I would say is worse than what is in the movie.

Overall the show was a hit with all of us.  Chicken walked out saying “I love that play!  I want to see it again.”  She’s been singing the songs and asking to watch the movie.

Clearly our Easter Bunny is a genius.  Can’t wait to see what she brings next year!

So…

What it’s not: completely clean language (there’s a handful of profane words sprinkled throughout), perfect adult role models,

What it is: an incredibly talented cast, high energy, great music, fun, probably best for at least upper elementary school students and older, fast paced, loud, full of laugh-out-loud moments

The Portland showing wraps up at the Keller this weekend.  If you can fit it in to your holiday weekend, you can grab tickets here:  https://portland.broadway.com/

 

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Theater

Diary of a Worm, a Spider, and a Fly- Oregon Children’s Theatre

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This weekend, we headed downtown to see Diary of a Worm, a Spider, and  a Fly at Oregon Children’s Theatre.  Always one for a theme, I decided to take my own spider- a.k.a Nugget in a Spider-Man sweatshirt.  Chicken and Nugget had read some, but not all, of the books in the series.  While they are not our go-tos, both kids have positive associations with the stories.

This visit we happened to get to do one of our favorite theater things- a backstage tour!  One of the many perks of being a subscriber at Oregon Children’s Theatre is the opportunity to go on a backstage tour led by Ross McKeen, the managing director of the theater.  You meet in the lobby area an hour before the performance, and are taken through the stage door just like the actors.  Mr. McKeen explains the different areas such as the green room, dressing room, the expectations for the actors, etc.  Of course the coolest part is getting to walk onto the stage and see the set and props up close.  Interesting facts or stories are told about different props and the development of the set.  You get to see the complicated rope pull area that moves curtains and stage elements, as well as see how the lights are set up.  You even get to take pictures on stage.  Nugget, of course, asked all sorts of random questions.  Our leader kindly took him seriously and answered each and every one.  The tour itself usually only takes 20 to 30 minutes, plenty of time for a bathroom break and snack before the show officially begins.  We have had fun trying to find a special prop or element we saw on stage and seeing if we can remember to identify it during the play.  This time, Nugget spotted a wig with soda cans used as rollers.  He was so excited when he saw it worn on stage!

The play itself is very cute.  It is a musical that combines different elements from various stories in the series.  The play’s storyline follows Worm, Spider, Fly, their friends Ant and Butterfly, as well as the teacher, Mrs. McBee, over the course of a school year.  Our insect friends face typical developmental challenges in a fun and accessible way- what do I want to be when I grow up?  Where do I fit in my family?  How am I the same as and different from my friends?  The music had the kids moving in their seats, and lots of giggles were heard throughout the theater.

The set is fun, comprised of oversized items that might be attractive to bugs- a pizza box, coffee cup complete with a lipstick smudge, soup can, etc.  Simple elements help creatively move us from the bugs’ outdoor world, to the rooms as they write in their diaries, and to their classroom for group discussions and presentations.

We have seen a couple of the actors in other plays, and this production very well casted really allowed them each to shine.  The teens in Oregon Children’s Theatre plays are so talented and professional, and it is fun to watch them grow on stage.

After the show we took advantage of the meet-and-greet with the cast.  This cast is made up of primarily middle school and and high school students, and they were all so sweet with the children coming for autographs.

As with most OCT plays, the run time is about an hour.  I would say the target audience is probably pre-school through second grade or so.  It’s an enjoyable show, even more so if you are familiar with the books.

So….

What it is: a familiar story to younger children, an appropriate length for younger audiences, a fun musical, family friendly, a positive message, creative staging

What it’s not: the best fit for upper elementary students

Tickets to the show can be found here:  https://www.octc.org/#index

 

Theater

Jason and the Argonauts- Oregon Children’s Theatre

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When I first read about Oregon Children’s Theatre’s Jason and the Argonauts play, I had reservations.  Serious ones.  When it came time to renew our subscription, I read the brief summary provided which indicated that two adult men were going to use action figures and paper boats to reenact the classic tale.  Immediately, visions of creepy guys who make you want to run a background check  playing with G.I Joes on YouTube popped into my mind.  I debated whether this was one we really needed to see.  But, Oregon Children’s Theatre has never let us down and I as I have nothing but faith in their judgement and production capabilities, I put our theater fate in their hands and bought the tickets.

This weekend, it was time to find out what we had gotten ourselves into.  When I attempted to explain the play to the kiddos, Chicken simply raised her eyebrows, gave me a skeptical look, and carried on with her business.  Apparently not my best sales pitch.  Nugget, however, was immediately on board.  “You mean they’re going to play with Star Wars toys?  Cool!!”  Not quite, I told him, but all he cared about was that he was going to see someone play with toys.  Whatever floats your boat, buddy.

We left early enough to stop and have a treat at the Starbucks near theater.  If you read this blog, you will notice a theme here.  Things always go better when mom is caffeinated. Then we headed over to check out the pre-show activities.

This time, the activity was folding paper into a boat.  At least that was the intent.  There were laminated instruction sheet with visual instructions. Apparently we fail in the visual spatial skills department and couldn’t figure it out, so we scrapped that plan and made some more than adequate paper envelopes and airplanes.  We were sufficiently pleased with ourselves.

We then settled into our seats, occupying our time with the word searches found in the program, and I continued questioning my decision to come.  The lights went down, I took a deep breath, and the show began.  And about 30 seconds in we were hooked.

This show is as far from a creepy YouTube video as you can get.  The main characters, Josh and Andy, guide us through our journey, moving flawlessly between the variety of characters they play.  As Josh and Andy, they are charming, endearing, hilarious, and I walked away kind of wanting to invite them for a play date.  They take turns playing Jason, Hercules, argonauts, princesses, kings, old men, and a range of other characters and each character is distinct due to their impressive talent.  The action figures are used to perfection, mirroring the movements of the actors and vice versa.  The toys add humor, interest, and really function as supporting cast members.

Any time the play becomes a bit intense, possibly scary for littles, or goes down the path of the classic tale long enough that the younger patrons become a bit wiggly, humor is inserted at the perfect time to re-engage even the youngest viewers.   The show was so well done, you could feel the mood shifting in the auditorium as the actors moved between characters and the tone changed.  You rarely have a perfectly silent auditorium at a children’s theater, when children honor the silent pauses that hold emotion created by the actors, but this happened several times and audience members were captivated by what was happening on stage.  A noteworthy feat.

Nugget was delighted each time Spiderman made an appearance (no, he’s not in the original version), Chicken lost it when a modified version of the theme song from Titanic was sung, Nugget cheered during the sword fights, and they both sat open mouthed when a wind machine was used to blow up an inflatable tail that was attached one of the actors in order to turn him into a monster.

The lighting is beautiful and enhanced a simple but creatively functional set.  What initially appears to be a simple wooden cart transforms into a giant paper boat, a king’s throne, and later comes apart to become two pieces of set.  A wooden box functions as a toy box, prop holder, seat, and ship anchor.

I think the recommended age of 7 and up is about right.  Nugget didn’t really follow the complete story line (his summary was “it’s two guys looking for a really cool coat”), but he laughed and can’t stop talking about how funny it was.  Chicken tends to be a pretty serious theater goer and isn’t known for having strong reactions during the actual shows, although she usually has plenty to say afterwards.  This time, I heard her laugh out loud over and over again, sometimes even throwing her head back.  It was really fun to see.  She leaned over more than once to whisper “this is so good!”  Nugget clapped enthusiastically at the end, and he is definitely not one to applaud if he does not mean it.  Then he couldn’t get out of the theater fast enough to go meet the cast.

Possibly due to having only two cast members and/or the smaller audience size (it’s held in the Winningstad which has a lower seating capacity), the actors took time to chat with each child longer than I have found is typical there.  They asked each child about their favorite part, and provided a response to the child’s answer.  They were nice when Nugget asked them each to sign his program in three specific spots (the cover, their picture, and the word search), and briefly talked Timbers with him when they noticed his Timbers gear.  One even tried to prove that his beard was real when Nugget asked why he didn’t have a beard in the advertising materials.

Overall, this was definitely our favorite show of the season so far and is for sure in the top three that we have seen there.  If you are going to take your kiddo to one show this season, take them to this one.

So…

What it is: hilarious, smart, engaging, an incredibly talented cast, a perfect length for younger viewers (about 70 minutes) but probably best for those 6 or 7 and up, creative, sassy, suspenseful, silly, a simple but effective set, a play you should definitely go see

What it’s not: a fully accessible storyline for very young children (they will likely still find it funny, though)

Do we recommend it?  A million percent yes!  Go!  Go now!

The show is running until May 19th.  Grab your tickets here:  https://www.octc.org

If you can’t make this show (but you really must try), Diary of a Worm, a Spider, and a Fly is up next.  Next season will begin in the fall, and they will be doing Dragons Love Tacos!  We are so excited!

 

Theater

Tenali- Northwest Children’s Theater

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For the past few years, Northwest Children’s Theater has collaborated with Anita Menon’s Anjali School of Dance to create beautiful works of theater and dance.  Anjali’s School of Dance focuses on traditional South Indian dance and her students are amazingly talented.  Their collaboration has resulted in numerous awards and full theater audiences.  Their show last year, Chitra, was gorgeous and we were really looking forward to seeing what they came up with this year.

This year it was Tenali, the story of a minister to the king who wreaks havoc by not doing his job; in this case he fails to protect the king’s favorite crown.   The show begins with an impressive procession of dancers leading the king to his place on the stage.  Beautiful dancing ensues before introducing us to the characters and the plot.  There is a lot of humor, and Chicken was definitely amused.

While Tenali was the title character and the actor has a great stage presence, it was three other ministers who stole the show.  The minister of spies, a bumbling police officer type, is played by one of our favorite NWCT actors and brings his trademark humor and fun to the role.  The minister of art has boundless energy, does some pretty impressive acrobatics, and fills the stage with his smile and enthusiasm.  The royal accountant, armed with his trusty abacus, manages to get all of his calculations wrong despite his best and most earnest efforts.  I feel his pain.

This production uses an extended stage, and we love it every time they make this choice.  In this case, it was amazing to see the individuals playing the music and I was astonished to see a single woman do the majority of singing to such a perfect degree I initially thought it was pre-recorded music.

The show itself is colorful, fast-paced, energetic, and action packed.  The long dance number at the end which incorporates a bit of audience participation is something the behold.  The costumes are stunning and the dancing really is incredible.  This style of dancing is so articulated, from the intricate and specific placement of fingers to the intentional use of eye gaze.  It is all so precise and yet graceful and dynamic.  The years of training, dedication, and passion clearly comes through.

As always, the cast members were fantastic with the kids during the meet and greet after the show.  And as always, Nugget refused to talk to any of the girls.  One actually tried to get his attention and talk to him and he put his hand to his neck and whispered “I have a sore throat” and continued on his merry way.  Still working on that one.  But the cast members he did talk to answered all of his random questions, from “what is the paint on your head for?” to “why did you do a flip?,” and my favorite, “what is your favorite kind of cheese?”  Because that is important to know about a person.  They were beyond gracious as he began organizing his own photo shoots, gathering his favorite characters and suggesting they do serious faces or silly faces.  To his credit, they really did turn out to be my favorite pictures of the day!  Because the hand movements are so specific during the dancing, Nugget apparently interpreted this as sign language and proudly showed off his minimal knowledge of signing.  The cast members were lovely and played right along.

So….

What it is: Relatively short (70ish minutes), making it perfect for a younger child, colorful, full of amazing dancing, funny, a bit of a convoluted story that may be a bit confusing for young children to follow, a bit of audience involvement at the end, inclusive of beautiful music children can intuitively find the beat of, family friendly, based on a real person (who knew?!?) who continues to be present in Indian popular culture

What it’s not: A story familiar to most children not exposed to East Indian stories

Do we recommend it? Yeperoozers!  And definitely take advantage of the meet and greet!

The show is running through May 12th.  You can find more information and buy tickets here:  https://nwcts.org/

And if you can’t make it to this show, this amazing collaboration with bring the return of The Jungle Book next season!