Theater

Clue the Musical- Beaverton Civic Theatre

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Clue. The classic whodunnit game that has been played and loved by many. Who did it? Where? And with what?

Beaverton Civic Theatre brought this game to life in their recent musical version of Clue. Just Chicken and I went to this one as Nugget had another fun activity on his schedule for the day. And we both agree he totally missed out.

The interactive nature of this play truly set it apart. At the beginning of the play, three audience members were invited on stage. One drew a “who” card, one drew the “where” card, and another drew the “how” card. The cards were then placed into an envelope and taped to the wall of the set (which was a life sized version of the game board). Because a unique combination of cards is drawn at each show, there are 216 different endings to the show.

The plays narrator, Mr. Boddy (who was fantastic and had a great stage presence), periodically gave clues based on the cards. He had seen them, but the audience and actors were in the dark. There was space in the program to track the clues so audience members could attempt to solve the mystery themselves.

This show was one of our favorites we have seen at Beaverton Civic Theatre. It was funny, engaging, and well done. The songs were catchy and Chicken is still wandering around the house singing about how “life is a bowl of cherries.” Some of Mr. Boddys narration is a little fast and may be hard for some younger children to follow, but they will likely get the general idea. There is also some subtle adult humor, but again, it is likely to go over the heads of kids not old enough for it. Chicken was very excited when she correctly solved the mystery and had fun sharing how she came to the correct conclusion.

While this is a murder mystery show, it’s not scary. The concept may be generally frightening to very young or sensitive children, but there aren’t any scenes that are truly fear inducing. Beaverton Civic Theater had hosted a related Girl Scouts workshop aimed at 2nd through 5th graders prior to the show, so the audience was full of Girl Scouts and their leaders. All of the kids were having fun and none seemed afraid.

What it is: a fun, family friendly musical based on the classic game, interactive, colorful, creative

What it’s not: scary, large stage with elaborate sets or staging

Do we recommend it? Yes! It was a lot of fun and is a reasonably priced way to spend an afternoon or evening together

Tickets are $15 dollars for adults and only $5 for kids. Tickets can be purchased here: http://www.beavertoncivictheatre.org/tickets.html

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Theater, Volunteering

Volunteering at Northwest Children’s Theater

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If you follow this blog at all, you know that we tend to go to a lot of theater.  One of the really cool things about Northwest Children’s Theater in particular is the multiple ways children can get involved with the theater experience- from attending plays, taking classes, Girl Scout workshops, going to theater camp, or even volunteering. We have taken advantage of most of those opportunities, but we recently gave volunteering a shot for the very first time!

Children as young as 4 are allowed to be assistant ushers or program passers (as long as an adult is with them).  Nugget has been itching to do this for a while.  There have been times we have arrived early and he has asked for jobs to do.  The staff there is so amazing, and they have given him extremely important responsibilities like making sure the bathroom lights are on and that there is toilet paper in the boys bathroom.  He took these tasks quite seriously.

This fall, we decided to do it the real way.  I signed the three of us up to be usher’s for the season opener play, How I Became a Pirate. We were told to arrive an hour prior to show time. After your first time, you are asked to arrived 40 minutes prior to the start. After some quick paperwork for the grown-ups, we were assigned our duties.

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Nugget and I were designated as program passers. Nugget’s face about broke from his excited smile. He grabbed some familiar faces (like I said, we go there a lot), to role play his job and took it all very seriously. He was a fantastic program passer.

Chicken got to be a stage guard, which meant she sat on the steps leading up onto the stage to keep curious kiddos off the stage. She was very excited. I was busy with Nugget, but apparently she tracked down the mom of a kiddo who was adamant about getting on stage. Don’t mess with my kid!

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As we waited for patrons to arrive, we were asked to help fill in missing numbers that they tape to the back of seats to make them easier to find. As this involved the use of a packaging tape dispenser, both kiddos were totally on board.

We were told that once our duties were done, we could sit anywhere there were open seats. As the show we were at didn’t happen to be overly crowded, we would up with a pretty good view! It did take us a moment to get into audience mode after coming straight from our ‘job,’ but we settled in quickly and thoroughly enjoyed the show!

Apart from the benefit of being allowed to see the show without purchasing a ticket, we were also heach given a token for a free concession to use at the next show we come to.

Northwest Children’s Theater also started a passport program this season. You earn stamps in your passport for doing different things related to attending the theater, and volunteering is one of them. There are prizes as you acquire stamps. First stamp- check! In order to acquire additional stamps, you can do things like take public transportation to a show, dress up for a show, take a class, etc. Next time you are there, take a minute to check it out!
 

What it is: fun, developmentally appropriate assigned jobs, a way to ease the financial burden of going to shows, a way for kids to feel involved and helpful

What it’s not: for kids who are painfully shy

You can sign up to volunteer here:  https://nwcts.org/usher-a-show/

You can buy tickets here:  https://nwcts.secure.force.com/ticket

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

Coffee Shops & Restaurants, Uncategorized

Nola Doughnuts- Portland and Lake Oswego

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How have we missed Nola Doughnuts? Seriously. Where have we been? Nugget recently had soccer camp at Providence Park, so Chicken and I had the week to explore downtown. One of the days we decided to go to Powell’s Books, and we saw a sign right behind Powell’s. So we popped in. And fell in love.

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As soon as we stepped in, we were charmed by the environment. There are artistic and artful menus, decorations, and informational displays along the wall But the coolest part is a the facade that looks like the fronts of colorful New Orleans homes.

Samples of the different products were in a case near the front. We passed over the doughnuts, which looked like they had the structure of a cronut and went for the order of mini beignets. Then we settled in to wait. Considering there was only one other couple in the shop at the time, we started to wonder what the heck was taking so long to bring out some square doughnuts. Turns out they prepare the beignets to order and bring them out fresh and piping hot. Color us sheepish.

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I will be honest. I haven’t been to New Orleans to compare these to the real deal, but I can’t imagine them being much better. They were hot, slightly crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, and sweet without being too sweet. They develop an air pocket when cooking, so it is like biting into a little pillow of heaven. They were dusted with powdered sugar and were delicious.

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So delicious, in fact, that a few days later when we decided to go to the Children’s Museum, we took the Max train so that it would be easy to zip down to Nola’s and treat Nugget to our new discovery. During rush hour. In the rain. They’re that good.

Nugget is a hard core fan of another well known Portland doughnut establishment, and even he was blown away. This time we asked for two orders, one with powdered sugar and one with their raspberry drizzle. Turns out, we needed that drizzle in our lives. Nugget may have wound up with sauce on his nose from licking it off the plate. Kids. Can’t take them anywhere.

Nola’s does have other doughnuts as well as a small selection of sandwiches and a variety of coffee drinks- including coffee with chicory. Yum! Order any of these if you feel inspired, but make sure to get the beignets!

Information about their menu and locations downtown and in Lake Oswego can be found here: http://www.noladoughnuts.com/menu

Happy eating!

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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Coffee Shops & Restaurants

Wizarding Tea- Clockwork Rose Tea Emporium

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I’ll admit it.  I am 100% a Harry Potter nerd.  I love all things Harry Potter.  And now I have Chicken on my side!  She has read all the books, even the script for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, has seen all the movies, and is the proud collector of Harry Potter knick knacks.

So this year for her birthday I clearly had to take her to the 2nd annual Wizarding Tea at Beaverton’s Clockwork Rose Tea Emporium. She donned a wizarding costume and off we went!

We entered the door leading to the small gift shop area, where we were checked in and instructed to place a jewel in the container for the house of our choice. We were given a themed quiz and word search and were then escorted through platform 9 3/4.

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Upon entering the tea room, we were immediately struck by all the details. Letters bursting from the fireplace, Umbridge’s decrees are framed on the walls, the house flags are hung, and there is a photo area resembling the great hall complete with props and character cutouts.

We oohed and aahed on the way to our seats at a community table before settling in to our quiz and word search. I have to say, I was secretly super proud of how Chicken casually answered all of the questions that stumped our tablemates.

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Before long, Mad Eye Moody arrived to tell us about the days themed teas and take our tea order. Chicken selected pumpkin spice and I chose Slughorn’s potion, complete with a vial of gilley water that changed the tea colors. They were both delicious!

Once tea orders were place, Professor Trelawney came along to lead us through a tea leaf reading. She taught us how to swirl our cups, empty it, and read our fortunes. There was even a printed guide to help with our interpretations. Chicken and I both got good readings overall, although we each have some suspicious characters in our lives we need to keep an eye on. Hmmm.

The tiered tray of treats arrived and I was glad I hadn’t eaten breakfast! There was everything from Molly’s meat pies, sorcerer’s scones, pumpkin pasties, treacle tarts, house cookies, and more things than we could possibly eat. The food was delicious and anything guests couldn’t finish was sent home in small boxes.

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After eating our fill, we checked out the decorations up close. They were really above and beyond. They were incredibly detailed, accurate, and fun.

And this may sound weird, but make a trip to the restroom while you are there. It’s actually got some really cool decorations!

Overall, we it’s a very unique experience and we had a great time.

What it’s not: Inexpensive

What it is: perfect for the Harry Potter fan, decent food, fantastic tea, amazing decorations, a fun excuse to get dressed up

This event tends to sell out, but you can e-mail at any time and asked to be added to their interest list for the next year’s tea. You will then be able to get tickets before everyone else!

Clockwork Rose Tea Emporium has traditional tea service in addition to their themed teas, which include Halloween, Dr. Who, Charles Dickens, and others. You can find information about the Tea Emporium here: http://www.clockworkrosetea.com/

Outdoor Activities, Parks, Spring and Summer Activities

Dirksen Nature Park

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We had heard about Dirksen Nature Park from several friends, so Nugget and I decided to go check it out one day while Chicken was at camp. We followed our trusty phone GPS and arrived at a tiny parking lot facing an empty field. I checked the address. Yep, we were at the right spot. What the heck was everyone so excited about? Then we noticed a small path and decided to follow it and see where it took us, which wound up being through a small wooded area that dumped us out in another big field.

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As I was becoming convinced my friends are crazy, I noticed people people moving around off to our left. We walked in their direction and as we turned a corner, we saw a playground! Yay!

Dirksen turned out to be pretty cool. There were some small traditional play structures with the added bonus of built in scavenger hunts that Nugget and other kids there seemed to love. There were some large logs and small stumps to play on that generally got ignored.

But there were definitely some stand out features. There were several carved and painted elements that could be used for climbing and sitting. There was also a rock area with a short rope climb and a turf area perfect for sliding on. There was a large tree stump with wall climbing grips that slightly older kids seemed to enjoy.

We did notice that there were two paved paths most people seemed to be coming from that appeared to be closely connected to civilization. So I’m guessing there are more logical places to park and my GPS was just having a little fun at my expense.

What it’s not: accessible for those with mobility issues, shaded at the time of day we were there

What it is: creative, pretty, clean bathrooms (hallelujah!), open space to play, unique

Do we recommend it? Yes! I don’t know that it will climb to the top of our list or become a family favorite, but it is a very cool park and is definitely worth checking out.

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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Day Trips, Fall Activities, Outdoor Activities, Spring and Summer Activities

Oregon Coast Railriders

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Well, hmm.  Our summer calendar had three consecutive days with nothing significant to do.  Can’t have that, now, can we?  After considering my mental list (ok, fine.  It’s an actual list on my phone.  I may also have a Word Doc on my Google drive.  Don’t judge.) of things I hoped we would get to do this summer, we settled on Oregon Coast Railriders.  The weather looked like it was going to be about perfect, we were all itching for some time outside, and it just sounded fun.  And as we are at the point in the summer when all the togetherness can be a bit much, we invited some friends and were thrilled when they said yes.

The idea behind Oregon Coast Railriders is very cool.  They use tracks that aren’t in service anymore and pedal these fun wheeled contraptions through beautiful scenery.  I will refer to them as carts.  I can’t describe them so here is a picture.

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They have a departure from Bay City and departure from Wheeler.  Honestly the description of the Wheeler terrain sounded slightly more interesting, but Bay City’s proximity to Tillamook and the love of cheese and ice cream that Chicken and I share lead us to choose the Bay City departure.  There are three departures per day from mid May through early October, and we chose the mid-day option as it seemed the most doable as a day trip from Portland.

When we arrived we were provided with basic safety rules as well as helpful tips like not letting your toddlers lick the wheels.  As the carts seat four and we were a group of six, we were asked to separate into groups of three- one adult and two children in each.  Other groups had two to four adults.  Seats were adjusted for each individual.  Nugget is on the small side for a 6-year-old, but he was able to successfully pedal if he scrunched down in his seat a bit.  Or a lot.  And then we were off!

The ride lasted just over 2 hours, travelling through forested areas, over bridges and trestles, and crossing over roads.  Our two guides used hand held stop signs to get us across roads.  One crossing even required them to lower the train crossing gates- complete with lights and sounds.  That was a huge hit with the kids.  While you do get to see rivers and creeks, do not expect ocean views along the ride.  You will get to see cow pastures and dairy farms, which the kids also enjoyed.

The ride itself was not overly strenuous.  Nugget has some serious leg muscles built up from soccer, and he was able to pedal the car all by himself, although probably not for very long.  I was with the older girls, and they did a great job.  They were all about speed at the beginning and had us on quite the regimine, counting to synchronize our pedals to make us go as fast as possible.  As a result, they were a bit tuckered out on the return trip and I needed to provide more support.  As you can see, Chicken decided to kick back and relax part way through.

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You depart and return on the same track.  At the halfway mark, the guides use an ingeniously simple method of turning the carts around.  There are two port-a-potties should you need to do so.   Otherwise, there are not other stops.  The carts do have cupholders and I was glad that I brought a water bottle along.

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Our cart with one adult and two kids was at a disadvantage in terms of speed when compared to the groups of four adults, but we held our own just fine.  I wouldn’t have turned down another set of adult legs, though.

Overall, the kids and the adults had a great time and it was a fun and unique activity.  I would estimate kids need to be at least 6 to have any hope of reaching the pedals, and probably closer to 8 to do any meaningful pedaling.  Younger kids could still enjoy the ride.

So….

What it’s not: a ride with a beach view, a motorized ride

What it is: a fun outdoor activity through a beautiful natural setting, a mild workout, about 5 minutes from the Tillamook cheese factory, reasonably priced for a novel activity

Do we recommend it?  Yes!  It was a lot of fun and we are glad we went.  Try to pick a day with nice weather (yes, I know it’s Oregon.  Just do your best) and try to finagle at least two sets of teen or adult legs.

You can check out the ride options and reserve a trip here:  https://ocrailriders.com/

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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