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“The Snowy Day” – a warm winter musical delight

January 23, 2012

“You’re never too old for snow,” beamed Peter “The Great,” in Adventure Theatre’s new musical production of The Snowy Day based on the Caldecott Award Winning book by Ezra Jack Keats. And there couldn’t have been truer words than on Saturday, the first snowy day of the winter, when we attended this magical performance. My girls were beaming with excitement was we hustled through Glen Echo Park and they stomped through slushy snow and squealed the entire way to the front door.

The Snowy Day...a delightful book & wonderful musical

Peter the Great, played by Alan Wiggins, does an outstanding job of genuinely exuding the youthful thrill over a first snow that only a kid can feel. And what is captured so well by the supporting cast of the musical is how every one of us truly delights in snow, regardless of age, along with watching our children enjoy it for the very first time. Personally, I absolutely loved the bright red snow suit Peter wears, identical to the one in the book, because its bright color really stands out beautifully against the urban back drop of the set and the magical, glistening snow, who also play a role in the musical. Harold the Snowman, Roberta the Crow and George the Pirate serve as excellent supporting characters to Peter. As the mother of an avid-pirate-loving three-year-old girl, just the pirate hat resting on Peter’s bed before the play even began served as enough to keep her attention but then the actual presence of a “snow pirate” – who even knew there were snow pirates – delighted her more than I can explain.

As the musical continues with Peter playfully experiencing his first snow, he happens upon Harold, the leg-less Snowman determined to get to the North Pole to avoid melting. Peter soon delivered my favorite line of the musical as he explains he can’t travel to the North Pole with Harold because he can’t travel beyond his block, as directed by his mother. The snowman asks “What’s a mom?” and Peter dead pans “Someone you don’t want to mess with.”

Loved it. That’s about right. Someone you don’t mess with, kids. And husbands….

The two soon embark upon an adventure that at times, feels a bit like the Wizard of Oz, each character challenging their own perceived limitations, as they befriend Roberta, the very colorful and bright Crow. Roberta is trying to head South, though she can’t fly, and Harold needs to head North, though he’s just gotten legs thanks to Peter’s industrious thinking to make them for him. In the end, ironically, it is George the Pirate who helps Harold reach his destination. The singing and dancing are well choreographed and interspersed in nicely to break up the dialogue and keep the younger kids’ attention. The addition of the snow as a supporting character was a really unexpected, and fitting twist, and is part of a final surprise for the entire audience at the end of the play. I can’t spoil it for you, of course! But rest assured, the children will love it.

Directed by Jessica Burgess with music and lyrics by Howard University’s Darius Smith, this show is the second of Adventure Theatre’s African American Adventures Series, a series of five world-premiere musicals based on the African-American experience written by African-American artists. Tickets are $18 each, with group and field trip rates available, and can be purchased through the box office by calling 301-634-2270 or online at www.adventuretheatre.org. Children under the age of 1 are free. My three-year-old was very interested in the musical, which lasts just under an hour, though I would be hard pressed to want to bring a child younger than three to see it. My six-year-old asked to go again as soon as we left the theatre.

The Snowy Day just opened this past weekend and runs through February 12, so hurry up and purchase your tickets while they’re still available. Beyond a delightful way to spend an hour, it’s another great indoor activity for these cold winter weekends.

This just in – Adventure Theatre has added the following performances:

Sunday, January 29th at 4:30pm
Friday, February 3rd at 7:00pm
Sunday, February 5th at 4:30pm
Friday, February 10th at 7:00pm
Sunday, February 12th at 4:30pm

Disclosure: Adventure Theatre gifted me the tickets but my opinions here are my own.

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DC Events with Kids, Theater for kids

‘Twas the Night Before Christmas: Adventure Theatre’s Modern Twist

November 20, 2011

Sitting down, waiting in anticipation, for Adventure Theatre’s production of Ken Ludwig’s ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas, in my wildest imagination, I never would have anticipated the surprising modern twist on this classic poem. Adventure Theatre productions have yet to disappoint me or my kids, each one is top-notch and creative in its own way, but ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas is easily my favorite one yet. Following in a close second, in my book, is their version of Go Dog Go! from a few years ago.

Hurry up and purchase your tickets before it sells out!

The play opens how you expect, the stage designed as a living room on Christmas Eve, with trustworthy Uncle Brierly starting the opening lines of the poem (and imagine our surprise, Uncle Brierly is played by Gary Sloan, a neighbor of ours; my girls stalk his dogs). With the entrance of young Emily and Amos the mouse, you know the kids are enraptured and excited to see what surprises are in store – but never would I have guessed a visit from the Elf-B-I, let alone a few Christmas raps and a Jewish elf named Calliope. The creativity, imagination and humor that went into writing this play is top-notch and appeals to the children and the parents in the audience, much like a Pixar movie.

It’s hard for me to say too much without giving it away because this is anything but a staid reproduction of this classic Christmas poem. But how can I not mention the fallen elf’s sword fight with Amos the mouse’s twin brother? Right? I mean – aren’t you intrigued? It’s hilarious. And unexpected. And the set design of Santa’s workshop in the North Pole leaves no detail behind; the shelves are glittery and the toys are brightly colored, plentiful and look beautiful in contrast to his white workshop.

Beyond the creative script-writing that modernizes this tale is the brilliant work of the five actors who keep everyone’s attention for the 60-minute production (including my typically wiggly 3-year-old). First, I’ve always loved the way Adventure Theatre costume designers dress the actors who are performing as animals in their productions. I would think it’s easy to go overboard when dressing someone to be a sheep, a spider or in this case, a mouse. Yet each time their costumes are simple and minimal yet the actor is accessorized just enough (in this case mouse ears, a hat and a tail) for the kids and adults to fall into the story and find Rex Daugherty entirely believable as Amos the adventure-averse mouse.

Despite his reservations, Amos and his best friend Emily, played by Emily Levey, head off on quite an adventure with Calliope, one of Santa’s five Jewish elves, played by Rachel Zampelli. Their trip to the North Pole becomes a mission to thwart Sir Guy, the fallen elf whose costume resembles Robin Hood meets a sword-fight loving Musketeer, from stealing Santa’s toy list and selling it to Bloomie’s. Sir Guy’s hilarious and totally dense side kick, Multch, is played by Alex Perez, who is also Santa.

This hour-long production delivers exciting chase scenes, a Mouse-Elf sword fight, singing, rapping and plenty of physical comedy, along with an exceptionally written script. Topping everyone’s Christmas list this year should be a trip to Adventure Theatre for this play! After the production, my girls happily met the actors in the show and took pictures. It was a real treat!

The show runs through January 2 and I understand tickets in December are already selling out quickly. They advise it is age appropriate for kids 4 and up but I will say my 3-year-old was totally enthralled the entire time. Tickets are $18 each.

Disclosure: The Adventure Theatre gifted these tickets to me. My opinions here are all my own.

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Holidays, Theater for kids

Labor Day Weekend…Got Plans?

September 1, 2011

If you aren’t headed out of town this weekend, and you are burned out on the pool, here are some other fun ways to fill out the days:

If you have young kids, then there’s no better place to be than the Adventure Theatre in Glen Echo Park on September 3 from 10-4. To celebrate the theatre’s open house, some of the most popular children’s books authors will be signing their books. And all the little pirates can gather round for some loot….or participate in a light saber adventure class demo. Here are the details: The day’s schedule begins with Light Saber Adventures Class Demo (Grades K-2) and a visit by the Pirate who will share his free Pirate’s Booty with attendees. Additional activities throughout the day include book signings by published children’s book authors Judith Viorst, author of Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, and Eileen Christelow, author of Five Little Monkeys, as well as readings by Montgomery County’s Chief of Police J. Thomas Manger and Helen Hayes Nominee and star of Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse, Felicia Curry. Books will be available onsite to purchase. Other class demonstrations include Explore with Dora & Diego (Ages 2-3). Download the full schedule here.

For baseball fans, the Nationals have teamed up with the Washington Post to offer really fun events all weekend long, beginning on Friday.
What better way to celebrate the end-of-summer than with baseball?

But more specifically, Sunday Sept. 4 is Kids Day. $1 tickets will be available for the Nationals series finale against the Mets to children ages 3-12. Fans may buy up to four tickets for $1 each with the purchase of one full-priced adult ticket in select areas. Tickets can be purchased online or at the Box Office on game day and are subject to availability. Also on Sunday, the Nationals will host the seventh annual Kids Run the Show Day, presented by The Washington Post. Children from across the DC Metropolitan Area were invited to enter the annual contest in The Washington Post and The Express to win the opportunity to “Run the Show.”

For a different twist on the long weekend, have a true DC “Staycation” and take advantage of the Hotel Monaco in Alexandria’s Family Summer Fun Package, starting at $179 , which features complimentary milk and cookies nightly as well as a free in-room movie for each night of stay. The package is available through September 11th, and can be booked using the FAMFUN rate code. In addition to offering a great summer package, the hotel also offers a multitude of complimentary perks targeted towards the under-16 set, including:

·         Dive-In Movie Night – Ahoy mates! The Monaco’s heated 40-foot indoor swimming pool is the best place for kids to spend a Saturday night. Each Saturday at 8:00 p.m., the hotel dims the lights, pulls out the inflatable pool furniture and shows great moves to splash and cheer to on a screen right by the pool.

·         Kids Hour –Kids command the living room for a whole hour every day from 4:00 – 5:00 p.m. at the Monaco Alexandria. With games such as Wii, Trivial Pursuit and coloring books, and fruit snacks, juice and freshly popped popcorn available to fuel kids for an evening with their parents.

·         Explore by bike…or wagon – Complimentary Phat Cycle bikes are available for adults and teens to use to explore the neighboring sights, whether it be a bike trip to Mount Vernon or a ride along the Potomac River. For those with little ones, take advantage of the hotel’s radio flyer wagons to stroll through Old Town, which has tons of boutiques, galleries and restaurants to peruse.

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DC Events with Kids, DC Parenting Blogger, Summer Survival with Kids, Theater for kids, Washington Mommy Blogger

Follow the Yellow Brick Road…to the Puppet Co

July 31, 2011

Hilarious portrayal of the Munchkins

When it’s this hot out, there’s certainly no place like (an air-conditioned) home…or an air-conditioned theater. So, while you’re sweating through the dog days of August, I’d urge you to put on your sparkly red shoes, pack up the older kids and head indoors for the Puppet Co’s rendition of “The Wizard of Oz”. This delightful, hilarious and campy production runs a succinct 55 minutes long and is guaranteed to entertain kids Kindergarten on up. We took a lovely reprieve from the oppressive heat last Sunday and headed to the show. I took only my eldest and two of her friends came along. My daughter hasn’t yet seen the movie and I think at 5.5 she’s a bit young for the book but we’d discussed the plot and the characters in advance and she was geared up, particularly excited to see Toto.

The actors in the production use a combination of puppet styles throughout the performance, ranging from tabletop puppets, Dorothy is a marionette, to masks and costumes (for the lion) and moving-mouth puppets. Hands down, the adult favorite in the room was the way the munchkins were portrayed, which was hilariously executed by adult faces popping up from underneath the stage, wearing small costumes around their chests. Honestly, we couldn’t get enough of it and the exuberance of the actors on this opening weekend was palpable.

Variety of Puppets used throughout the production

The children are guided through Dorothy’s epic tale of trying to return to Kansas with the help of the same 4 actors taking on various roles and costumes. For the timid out there, the cast and crew did a good job of using music and one scary puppet to portray the Wicked Witch of the West. Her character is on stage for a brief period of time and one of my daughter’s friends, who is open about not liking to be scared, was happy to just sit close to her mom as Dorothy out-witted the evil witch.

Though the life lessons and morals woven throughout Frank Baum’s classic were most likely lost on the younger ones in the audience, including my daughter, any older kids in the audience are likely to appreciate the themes of good conquering evil, finding comfort in home and friends and appreciating the wisdom, heart and courage we already have. The younger ones will delight in the puppets, the colors, the well written script and if they are anything like my daughter, the cute small stuffed dog playing Toto.

The Puppet Co. never disappoints and every detail was considered, down to the theater staff dressed like women from the 1900s attending the Kansas State Fair. I particularly loved that attention to detail. The show runs Thursdays through Sundays until September 4. Tickets are $10 for adults and children. And if you’re on the hunt for indoor activities for the younger ones among us, don’t forget the Puppet Co. has “Tiny Tots” select Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays at 10am, recommended for kids ages 0-4. Tickets are $5 each. Look for “Tales of Beatrix Potter” beginning September 16 through October 9.

: Fans swarming Dorothy after the show

Disclosure: I was given tickets to the Puppet Co. to see The Wizard of Oz but my review is my opinion.

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DC Events with Kids, DC Parenting Blogger, Motherhood, Puppet Shows for Kids, Summer Survival with Kids, Theater for kids, Washington Mommy Blogger