Tag: Beaverton Civic Theater

Reviews of their shows and programs

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

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, Upcoming

Beaverton Civic Theater 2019 Season

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BCT just announced it’s upcoming season and it sounds like a fun season for families!

They have two mainstage productions that have the potential to be family friendly depending on the age of your children- Diary of Anne Frank and Clue: the Musical.  These productions are typically $15 for adults and $5 for children.

They are also having a few productions targeting children and families through their Young Audiences program.  These productions are typically $5.

They are doing Knuffle Bunny again this year.  We saw it at least twice when they did it a couple of years ago and it is worth the $5.  Be prepared for a lot of dramatic wailing on the part of Trixie, but that’s kind of what she does for the whole book, too.

Another show we are excited about is Charlotte’s Web!  We haven’t gotten to see this production as a family and we are all looking forward to it!  They are also doing a concert version of Beauty and the Beast.  I’m a little disappointed it isn’t a fully staged production because it is one of our absolute favorites, but it makes sense given their space limitations.  And since we are all suckers for all things Beauty and the Beast, we will be there with Belles (hee hee) on.

BCT also announced a new program we are excited about.  It is called Troupe BCT.  Children ages 8 and up will be able to audition to be part of the training intensive program, which will culminate in a public production of Seussical the Musical.  Another family favorite!  Chicken will be auditioning, but we will be at the show regardless of whether or not she is lucky enough to be selected.  I love that BCT is increasing their theater outreach for youth.  Yay BCT!