Washington DC Mommy blogger

5 (Wild & Crazy) Little Monkeys at Adventure Theatre MTC

April 28, 2012

This weekend marks the opening of Adventure Theatre MTC’s 5 Little Monkeys, the fifth production of the theatre’s season. Settling into the show’s final dress rehearsal on Thursday night, I wondered to myself: how in the world are they going to take a short children’s book about 5 monkeys falling off the bed and turn it into an entertaining hour-long production?

Why oh why, when it comes to Adventure Theatre MTC, do I ever ask why? I should know better by now.

Which monkey is your kid most like? Photo Credit: Adventure Theatre MTC

Directed by Karin Abromaitis and produced by Michael J. Bobbitt, the cast of 5 Little Monkeys and one extremely patient and forgiving mother, takes us through the seemingly innocuous parts of any parent’s, human or apparently monkey, day with young children and sheds light on how absolutely nothing is simple with a gaggle of children in tow. Valerie Leonard is exceptional as the patient and even-tempered mother of 5 rambunctious monkeys and as she introduces the audience to monkeys 1-5, she skillfully describes each monkey’s temperament.

I quickly identified monkey #3 as most-like my youngest and monkey #4 as most-like my oldest. Read: trouble-maker and curious, and bookish and rule-follower. I am sure every parent in the audience will surmise which monkey is most similar to their children, which is part of the fun. The play opens at the start of what turns out to be, for momma monkey, a very long, trying day. In the beginning, the mischievous monkeys beautifully convey the chaos and mess that ensues when children take on any kind of baking project, in this instance, making a birthday cake for mom (one day early). After successfully destroying the kitchen, starting a fire in the oven, and bringing the fire truck out to the house, the cast then leads us to a picnic in the park.

What could possibly go wrong?

Anyone who has ever taken several young kids to the park themself knows exactly what could go wrong – though without spoiling it – there is a surprise animal appearance during this park outing that particularly delighted my reptile-obsessed ~~monkey #3~~ three-year-old. We especially loved that plot twist.

These monkeys must wear her out. Photo Credit: Adventure Theatre MTC

The final outing for the monkey crew is to the store for new clothes. Again, shopping with young kids is not efficient or for the faint of heart, as Leonard repeatedly loses some, or most, of her monkeys that day. I could relate, trust moi. By this point in the play, I began to wonder if they were actually just going to ignore the jumping on the beds premise of the book, but fret not, they saved the very part the kids are familiar with for the show’s conclusion. The actors who so energetically and skillfully portray young children also take on other character roles throughout the show, which is elegantly performed in rhyming prose, including shopkeepers, fire men and of course, the Doctor.

The entire time I sat there, I was in awe of the physical demand of this play on the actors. They must feel like they’ve just participated in a sprint triathlon at the end of each production, frankly I was tired for them. But it’s just this – the highly physical element and comedy of this play – that makes it the ideal show for younger kids especially. Afterall, this book particularly appeals to the youngest monkeys among us, and I love that Adventure Theatre MTC offers such a variety of productions throughout the year that even 2-and-3-year-olds can enjoy the thrill of going to the theatre and come away wanting to go again. Also very noteworthy – the costumes in this production. I loved the bright and cheerful colors of each monkey’s costume but I especially loved the monkey hair on the legs and heads of some of the monkeys – I couldn’t figure out how they made it but it’s fantastic.

5 Little Monkeys is on through June 3. Tickets are $18 each and can be purchased online or by calling 301-634-2270. I’d definitely encourage you all to soak in this play, especially if you have younger monkeys at home. It’s a fun and entertaining hour-long production.

Disclosure: Adventure Theatre MTC invited me and my guests to the final dress rehearsal but my opinions here are my own.

0 Comments - Leave a comment!

Theater for kids

Imagination Stage’s Rapunzel: As much for moms as for kids

April 25, 2012

Baby snatcher or not...I loved the witch...and her costume. Photo Credit: Imagination Stage

Full disclosure: as a kid, Rapunzel was always my least favorite of the Disney’fied stories. I never really understood why Rapunzel was such a push over and just didn’t crawl down the tower, even if her mom was a witch. And then, of course, the fact that her mom wasn’t really her mom but a child kidnapper is bound to unsettle any child. So I chalked it up as a creepy tale and moved on. Then I became a mother to two young girls and frankly, locking them up in a high tower often strikes me as an appealing idea. As does having magical witch powers. On Sunday, we attended Imagination Stage’s production of Rapunzel and heading into it, I already knew I’d like the witch, but I was ill-prepared for how much I would like all the characters and their modern twist on the Grimm fairytale.

Directed by Kathryn Chase Bryer and performed by just a cast of four extremely talented actors, Imagination Stage’s Rapunzel is a spring musical you don’t want to miss. It is billed as a “musical fairy tale about letting your hair down,” and what you could easily overlook is that the show is just as much about Rapunzel letting her hair down as it is about parents letting their kids find their own freedom. The story line skillfully ignores the Witch as a kidnapper and instead portrays her as a flawed human being; a mother who actually means well and wants what’s best for her daughter, just makes a few too many controlling mistakes along the way.

We’ve all been there, I’m sure. And in this day of constant media attention around American mother’s apparent need for perfection and helicopter parenting, I found it refreshing and relaxing to sit through 90 minutes of an imperfect mother making mistakes (again, let’s conveniently ignore kidnapping) and her child pushing boundaries, for them both to discover the importance of letting go and respecting each other.

So why else did I love this production?

Umm..the costumes and of course, the actors. Imagination Stage always gets it right. The whole time I couldn’t help but wonder, do they have sales

The fabulous cast of Rapunzel. Photo Credit: Imagination Stage

because I’d be the first in line to purchase some of those costumes for future Halloween’s. Again, back to the witch, Gillian Shelly, who made her Imagination Stage debut. Her costume, particularly at the beginning, with the vegetable garden incorporated into her cape, was outstanding. I coveted her green wig and her striped stockings the entire time. And her sparkly magical black ring that gave her boundless power, of course.

#powerhungry

Jonathan Atkinson starred as Prince Brian and he rocked a Euro club look which was endlessly amusing, along with his wig. I loved that Rapunzel was not a white blond actress but instead was played by an African-American actress, Felicia Curry. The added touch of the flowers inserted into her ridiculously long braid was a great detail. And finally, last but certainly not least, was hilarious Simon, Prince Brian’s valet, played by Michael John Casey. He skillfully played several different parts throughout the show, including a grass-eating cow, but it was his smooth dance moves to charm the witch that really won me over. He was down right hilarious.

About the costumes, Director Kathryn Chase Bryer said, “There is a feeling that these tales are ancient and therefore timeless. When I began conversations with the designers about the world of Rapunzel, we all agreed that though the story takes place in ‘fairytaleland,’ this script has a modern feel to it and we wanted to capture the feeling. To that end, we have come up with some really extreme costume ideas that feel modern, even futuristic in some ways, and we juxtapose this high fashion style with a set reminiscent of a classical fairytale.”

Couldn’t have said it better myself……

Imagination Stage is marketing the play as appropriate for ages 4 and up, which of course I ignored and brought along my theatre-obsessed almost 3.5 year old. I now concede that they are right and there is no reason to bring anyone under the age of 4 to the play. With an intermission, it was easily 90 plus minutes long and the story line and lesson just aren’t suitable for the youngest among us. In short: it went over my 3-year-old’s head. The singing and the dancing were entertaining enough to keep her captivated for most of the first half but once intermission was over with, she was eager to go home. My six-year-old sat there mesmerized, enthralled and delighted the entire time. A few times I glanced over to just see her mouth gaping open a bit and sheer delight on her face, which really, is what taking our kids to these musicals is all about, right?

Ticket prices range from $10-$22 and the musical has now been extended until May 26. My advice: hurry up and purchase your tickets before it’s sold out. Purchase your tickets online or call 301-280-1660. Though I don’t review many activities, I am a theater hound and tend to review lots of plays, especially children’s theater in DC, so to keep up with more reviews and other fun, frolic and witchy ideas, “Like” the Wired Momma Facebook page.

Disclosure: Imagination Stage gifted the tickets to me but my opinions here are all my own. In short: we loved it!

1 Comment - Leave a comment!

Theater for kids

Don’t miss Listen To Your Mother DC

April 24, 2012

On Sunday May 6 from 2-3:30pm – there is no where else you’d rather be than sitting in the audience of the Synetic Theater in Arlington – enjoying the fabulous debut of Listen To Your Mother DC. Trust moi!

So what is Listen To Your Mother?

It’s a live show featuring local authors. It was started 2 years ago by Ann Imig in Madison, WI and based on her success, she is debuting the show in 12 different cities nationwide. The show gives a microphone to Mothers Day. But it does more than that because it’s not just for mothers, it’s for parents, aunts, uncles, cousins – it’s for anyone who has loved a child.

I auditioned for the show in February and was so proud to be selected as one of the DC cast members. Last month, we all gathered together and heard each others pieces for the first and only time until May 6. I was blown away. I left that evening in awe of the talent in DC, the talent that you don’t hear or see in mainstream media every day but is still there. Each writer has a unique voice and a great story. Some will make you cry. A lot. I don’t even really love emotions and let me tell you, I couldn’t help myself. Some will make you laugh. A lot. Some will make you tear up and then laugh. It’s a great balance. It’s 90 minutes on a Sunday afternoon where you can just relax and let 1 local women entertain you – give yourself a break on Sunday afternoon – let yourself be entertained and enjoy yourself.

I hear we are on track to sell out the 400 person theater, so don’t waste any time and purchase your tickets pronto. And a final last pimping of it out, catch my interview today on the show’s site!

“Like” the Wired Momma page to keep up with shenanigans

0 Comments - Leave a comment!

Motherhood, Uncategorized

What’s your milestone wish for a child?

April 23, 2012

Did you know 1 in 5 children around the world doesn’t have access to the vaccines they need to survive? That a child

This is the mom who walked 15 miles to vaccinate her child. Photo Credit: UN Foundation Shot@Life

dies every 20 seconds in developing countries from preventable disease? And that some moms walk 15 miles to reach life-saving vaccines for their children? According to a UN Foundation spokeswoman, Devi Thomas, one woman in Mozambique was willing to walk this distance with her baby strapped to her back because she’d already lost 2 children from preventable disease.

This week is World Immunization Week and to kick the week off, I was so honored to co-host a UN Foundation Shot@Life event on Friday night at the Dolci Gelati factory in Washington. Anastasia Dellaccio owns Dolci Gelati with her husband (who not only makes amazing gelato but also some exquisite deserts) and she works for the UN Foundation and their Shot@Life campaign. The UN Foundation’s goal is to mobilize Americans around their efforts to vaccinate children around the world and give these kids a shot at more firsts: first birthdays, first tooth, first day of school. You name it, these kids deserve it, and their parents long to watch these milestones just like we do. It’s remarkable to think that by donating just $20, you can protect a child for life with four vaccines to fight measles, diarrhea, polio and pneumonia.

I find it impossible to talk about this issue without recognizing that vaccination rates in some parts of this country are dropping. Just last week, we heard from the CDC that we saw more measles outbreaks in the United States last year than we had in 15 years. Not vaccinating children flies in the face of common sense and frankly, makes a mockery of the luxury of privilege and the access we do have here in this country. I think, in part, so many parents forgo the chance to immunize their child because they haven’t seen real poverty and they haven’t seen what horror these preventable illness can bring to the lives of children.

I haven’t witnessed what polio does to a child, for example, but I have seen real poverty. My dad was a US diplomat for almost 40 years, so we moved every 2-3 years of my life. Sometimes I now worry that the coolest part of my life happened when I was a kid but at least I had that chance. We landed in Jakarta Indonesia on a hot August night when I was 12 years old. Until that point, I had never experienced culture shock. Walking out of the airport into the heavy humidity that first night and inhaling the smells of Jakarta for the first time, which in the 80s was largely a mix of sewage and clove cigarettes, I was standing face-to-face with culture shock. Never will I forget that drive from the airport to our new home; I had never before seen so many people – everywhere – squatting on the side of the road, smoking, chatting, little children barefoot running around, and huge open sewers. Mopeds with 6 people raced past, buses overcrowded, small huts meant to be homes cluttering side of the road, with only the open sewers in between.

An image like this makes a strong impression on a 12-year-old. As I would imagine it does to an adult seeing it for the first time. The cat-sized rat who trotted across our driveway as we pulled up is also pretty unforgettable.

What’s my point?

When you see real poverty, when you see people who have nothing, you don’t forget how lucky we are here to have access to what we need, when we need it. So I ask you to join this amazing effort and help give a child a shot at life, at more milestones. The UN Foundation’s goal for World Immunization Week is to raise enough money to vaccinate 1,000 children.

During Friday’s event, my sister, who runs a boutique video and editing company, Born Lucky Studios, donated her time, talent and equipment to video each of us and what kind of first milestone we wish for other children to reach. Hearing everyone’s milestone wishes was a real highlight of the evening for me, which says a lot considering there were gallons of delicious gelato and yummy champagne all over the Dolci Gelati headquarters. Every mom in the room had a distinct reason for the milestone they chose because each of these milestones are something we’ve relished witnessing our children reach. These are things we never take for granted. Here’s a look at mine:

So please, I hope you’ll consider joining me, and if not this week, then for Mother’s Day or Father’s Day, because I believe the UN Foundation’s campaign is as much about mothers and fathers as it is about children. As the UN Foundation pointed out, $20 protects a child for a life from four diseases, or equals about 3 big boxes of Crayons or 4 tubs of baby wipes. Online donations are simple and quick! And I’d love to hear what your milestones wish is!

“Like” Wired Momma on Facebook.

2 Comments - Leave a comment!

Vaccines