“But Mr. B is going to be so sad,” cried my 4-year-old towards the end of Imagination Stage’s ‘Lulu & the Brontosaurus‘,  “he is going to be so lonely and sad,” she continued, with some tears moving down her sweet little cheeks.

Casie Platt as Lulu and Vaughn Irving as Mr. B’s voice and puppeteer
Photo credit: Blake Echols / Imagination Stage

Well, that wasn’t the reaction I was expecting as we entered the theater but it said everything to me. ‘Lulu & the Brontosaurus’ takes even the youngest of theater-goers along a spectrum of emotions, most of them happy but some of them a little sad, as we watch Lulu evolve from a horrible, undisciplined, tantrum throwing preschooler into a sensitive and almost thoughtful and caring little girl.  In short it is a delightful, high energy, sweet musical based on the book, Lulu and the Brontosaurus, written by DC-based author Judith Viorst.

Regular readers of my theater reviews know that sometimes I am a little apprehensive about a play at the Imagination Stage for one reason – intermission and my 4-year-old. This is the second consecutive play we’ve seen at Imagination Stage that did not break for intermission and I cannot thank them enough for this change. I have no idea if it’s permanent but it radically changes our theater-going experience — for the better.  Thank you, Imagination Stage.

Lulu (Casie Platt) throws a bit of a tantrum in LULU AND THE
BRONTOSAURUS at Imagination Stage Photo Credit: Margot Schulman

The star of the musical, Lulu, is the every-kid – to an extreme. Every parent in the room must have cringed at her tantrums and demands, starting with “I’m gonna gonna get, a Brontosaurus for a pet,” because we’ve all been there. We know her. She might not be quite as consistently horrible in our lives as Lulu seemed to be in the lives of her parents but that self-centered determination emerges from every 3 and 4-year-old child and we cringe and recoil, at times. The play is as much about Lulu’s transformation into a more decent human being, a transition I noticed as my own daughters moved further into their 4s, as it is about her finding that Brontosaurus that she so wants for her birthday and learning that sometimes, a gal can’t always get what she wants. No matter how hard she tries.

The set and costumes were as fundamental to the play as the talent of the actors. The puppetry behind Mr. B, the beloved

Snake (Vaughn Irving), Tiger (Tracey Stephens), and Bear (Doug
Wilder) discuss what to do about Lulu in LULU AND THE
BRONTOSAURUS at Imagination Stage. Photo Credit: Margot Schulman

green gentle giant, was brilliantly executed and after the premiere, we were afforded the chance for a backstage tour, and we learned there are actually two Mr. B’s on either side of the stage, making that movement possible. On her way to find a Brontosaurus to be her pet, Lulu also comes across a snake, tiger and bear in the forest and the Tiger easily emerged as my favorite because of her sass and self-confidence, obviously.

Lulu & the Brontosaurus is billed as best for those ages 4-9 and I completely agree with this, my girls are 4 and 7 and they absolutely adored the show, as did me and Mr. WM. It was a fun-filled family outing and the girls have since asked multiple times to go back. When asking them if they would recommend it to their friends, the response I am given is a resounding YES and in case you were wondering, yes, my 4-year-old does want a Brontosaurus for a pet.

Be sure and catch “Lulu” at Imagination Stage before it wraps October 27. Tickets start at $12 and can be purchased online.

Disclosure: Imagination Stage invited me and my family to attend the press preview. My opinions here are all my own.

Rick Hammerly as The Cat, Tyler Herman as The Boy, Jessi…Shearer as Sally. Photo by: Mike Horan

“It’s fun to have fun but you have to know how,” quips the Cat in the Hat, played by Rick Hammerly, in Adventure Theatre MTC’s sixth and final show in its 2012-2013 season.

As we embark upon summer and head into the July 4th weekend, truer words couldn’t possibly be said. It is fun to have fun, but as parents, do we always know how?

I can tell you that adding this fun-filled 42-minute production to the top of your Summer Bucket List, will help you earn some serious fun chops with the kids.

Me and the girls were lucky to soak the show in last week, on the eve of opening day, and it was a high energy, hilarious and quick-paced production that kept both my 4 and 7-year-old’s attention for the duration. Sometimes a play based off a book deviates from the book and it works – or it doesn’t – but it can disappoint the kids because we know they like consistency and familiarity. This particular production parallels the book perfectly, so the kids will know what to expect but because it’s happening live in front of them, it keeps them enraptured and engaged the entire time. Sally and her brother are outfitted just as you see them in the book, and I really enjoyed not just their penchant for physical comedy but their perfectly timed facial expressions to match the frolic and chaos happening throughout the show.

Alison Cenname as Thing 1 and Cassie Cope as Thing 2. Photo by: Mike Horan

Rick Hammerly is absolute perfection as the Cat in the Hat – between his timing, his inflection and his own facial expressions. My girls, especially my oldest, absolutely loved seeing child actors in the play, of course playing Thing 1 and Thing 2, and Alex Vernon plays the puppet fish exceptionally well.

Beyond the lovely set and outstanding costumes, the use of sound effects and the bubbles particularly appealed to the younger ones in the audience. If you have a hardcore bubble lover amongst your brood, I’d suggest sitting in the middle front row, unless of course your bubble lover can’t control herself and will want to jump up and pop all the bubbles, then I’d suggest sitting on the sides, towards the back, to avoid temptation….

Adventure Theatre MTC recommends this show for all ages and as many of you know,

Alex Vernon as The Fish, Jessica Shearer as Sally. Photo by: Mike Horan

often times I’ll disagree with their recommendations and suggest a child skew slightly older before you bring them, but not this time. I’d be comfortable even bringing someone as young as 2 or 2.5 to this show because it is so quick paced and relies on physical comedy – not a lot of dialogue. In short – it is a perfect, fun summer production, to escape the heat or in the case of Sally and her brother, do something fun on a rainy day.

On that note, my friend commented towards the end of the production that what they did exceptionally well was recreate the total chaos of what the inside of her house looks like after a rainy day — truer words couldn’t have been said.

Tickets are $19 each and you have until September 2 to enjoy the show. I hear tickets are selling fast and I can understand why. After the show, we enjoyed an evening carousel ride on the lovely Merry-Go-Round in Glen Echo Park and barely dodged an extended park visit. It’s always a treat heading to Adventure Theatre and Glen Echo Park – an easy way to pass a lazy summer day!

For more fun, be sure to hit “Like” on the Wired Momma Facebook page.

Disclosure: I was invited as a guest of the final dress rehearsal of this production. My opinions here are all my own.