Media Macaroni

Last week I check out the Theatreworks production of Click Clack Moo courtesy of Women in Children’s Media. Yes, you heard me correctly. It’s a musical production of Doreen Cronin’s fantastic Caldecott Honor book, Click, Clack, Moo: Cows that Type. 

For those who haven’t read it, Click, Clack, Moo is the story of, well, cows that type. Actually it’s a story about a labor dispute on Farmer Brown’s farm. The cows want blankets, and when they get a hold of a typewriter they begin making lists of demands for the farmer, withholding milk until the demands are met. 

It took me a little while to turn off my “is this a faithful adaptation?” brain, because there’s always going to be new additions when you’re stretching a picture book into an hour-long musical. Most notable among the changes is the addition of Jenny, Farmer Brown’s granddaughter, who brings her laptop to the farm which is ultimately what the cows use to type. Jenny’s a really likable character, as is Farmer Brown, so soon my favorite parts of the show were the ones with these two at each other’s throat. 

The writing is hilarious. Not only is there plenty of stuff for kids to giggle at (“Stinky face!”) but it’s chocked full of jokes I laughed at: a cow with “a feeling in all four of my stomachs” and a duck with “a pain in my fois gras,” with MooTube and USDA jokes thrown in for good measure. There’s some good physical comedy as well that the kids ate up, as well as a wonderful puppet sight gag of the characters traveling across the farm.

My only beef (haha) is with two of the performances. One of the cows really chewed the scenery, and not in a good cow-like way. She played the scenes like we were in a Broadway theater, not having a good ol’ time with the kids. Then there’s Duck (the same beloved Duck of Duck for President fame). While he was funny and seemed to be a crowd-pleaser, he threw me right out of every scene because he’s a cross between Hollywood from the movie Mannequin (yeah… you know you remember) and Kenan Thompson’s Deep House Dish character on Saturday Night Live. Bokay?  

Still, the show nets out to be pretty great. The kids in the audience sure loved it – one boy was pumping his arms up in the air during curtain call like it was the best thing he’d ever seen. 

Afterwards there was a panel discussion that included Theatreworks’ Artistic Director, Barbara Pasternack, writer Billy Aronson, lyricist Kevin Del Aguila, and composer Brad Alexander. Their combined resumes are truly impressive, and they’ve each spent years entertaining kids. I was really impressed with Theatreworks and their writer-driven process. They really do seem to keep kids at the center of everything they do and clearly want to entertain, not hit a set of predefined curriculum points. I look forward to checking out more of their performances in the future. 

For now, check out Click, Clack, Moo at the Lucille Lortel Theater in Greenwich Village until August 28. After that, stay tuned to the Theatreworks website for national touring dates at a location near you. 

I’m just going to lay it right out there on the table – I don’t like musicals. I’m one of those “why would they break out into a song and choreographed dance?!” kind of people. Oh, sure, the odd musical gets past my filter, like Moulin Rouge on film (awesome cover songs!) and Avenue Q on the stage (puppet sex!) I even enjoyed Jekyll and Hyde for the sheer superstardom of one Mr. David Hasselhoff. No one brings it like the Hoff. 

This week one more passed through the filter. Like George Banks, my cold, cold heart was no match for Mary Poppins.

It’s been ages since I’ve seen the movie, and I’d forgotten just how many memorable songs came from Mary Poppins. Sure you remember “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” and “A Spoonful of Sugar,” but how about “Let’s Go Fly a Kite?” It’s all very nostalgic, performed wonderfully by the cast. Keep an eye on the kids during the big choreographed numbers. They do an amazing job with some pretty complex moves. 

The show can be viewed completely differently based on your age. If you’re a kid, it’s about an awesome magical nanny. The props and set superbly support the magic, particularly in the scenes where Mary was pulling lamps and coatracks out of her bag and where she magically fixes up a disaster of a kitchen. There’s also some work on wires, and though the wires are clearly visible (my niece assured me that she saw them), there’s still magic in Bert dangling from the ceiling or Mary flying over the audience. 

If you’re an adult it’s totally different. First, there’s the Mad Men-like, loveless marriage of the Banks to be repaired. Mrs. Banks has to give up everything she loves to host tea parties for the proper people, and by golly why can’t she keep the children in line so as not to disturb Mr. Banks? Then there’s the subplot of Mr. Banks in the financial sector. They might have lost the under 10 audience with the financial song “Precision and Order.” Thanks to Mary Poppins, though, Mr. Banks passes on an investment not unlike the sub-prime mortgage market to invest in a company that actually makes a product. 

There’s also the bizarre solution-at-the-bottom-of-a-bottle theme in the show. Here, drink this “medicine”. It’ll make you feel better. Mary’s medicine tasted different to everyone who tried it, but for her it was always “rum punch.” Yeah, that’s the sign of a good nanny right there.

Mary Poppins gets equal points for nostalgia, production value, and weirdness. Throw it all together in the stunning New Amsterdam theater and you’ve got yourself a great Broadway outing. 

For a little taste of the show, the cast will be performing free in Bryant Park on Thursday at 12:30. 

This weekend, Olive and I had the chance to check out the charming off-Broadway show Dear Edwina, created by Marcy Heisler and Zina Goldrich, creators of Junie B. Jones The Musical.

This was Olive’s first live theater experience, unless you count the Big Apple Circus. At a running time of just over an hour, it seemed like a good bet for her 3-year-old attention span. For the first couple of numbers, she had the funniest perplexed look on her face as she watched. I know where she gets it from. I’m not typically a fan of musical theater. I’m constantly distracted, wondering why the characters would break into song. Exceptions to my dislike of musicals are Avenue Q, Jekyll and Hyde (seen on Broadway for the magical star power of one David Hasselhoff), Moulin Rouge, and Grease. OK… and Grease 2.

As I sat watching Dear Edwina, though, it came to me: musical theater is for kids. I tapped my foot and laughed along with the show and realized watching the show was like watching Yo Gabba Gabba with Olive, with dancing, catchy tunes with gentle moral lessons, and kid-friendly humor. 

The show is a little high-concept for kids. Edwina Spoonapple is a giver of advice in Paw Paw, Michigan, who is dying to go to an advice-givers event in nearby Kalamazoo. She puts on a show in her front yard, as letters are read and advice is dispensed in song. I was wondering if this was going over the little heads in the audience, but all of the giggles told me otherwise. The sweet spot for this show is older than three, to be sure. I’d put it at 7-9. In fact, I was wishing all throughout the show that I could take my 7-year-old niece, who would LOVE it. 

There are several songs that are sticking with me. Olive was tickled by Say No Thank You, a song that addresses picky eaters. My clear favorite was Frankenguest, a hilarious little number made even better by one of the stand-out cast members, Doug Thompson. Seriously, go see the show and tell me if this kid isn’t Jack Black, Jr.

Dear Edwina runs throughout this month at the DR2 Theatre on Union Square. If you’re cooped up on a cold winter day watching Hannah Montana or High School Musical 3 for the 40th time, I highly recommend checking out this show. 

UPDATE: Dear Edwina’s run has just been extended to April 19. Now there’s more time to enjoy the show.