Quote of the Day: Life is so boring when you don’t go to plays. Leah and Rebekah, who often accompany me to plays at The Children’s Theatre in Minneapolis.
When will the show start?
The best audience members in the world attend shows at The Children’s Theatre Company in Minneapolis, MN. The youngsters aren’t inhibited in their response to the performance. If a moment is getting tense, and the characters need to make a decision, a little guy might pipe up and yell, “Don’t do it!” They gasp and laugh out loud. They yank on their mom’s arm and say, “Mommy, did you see that?” They shout out replies or help end a phrase like, “said the cat in the hat.” They might clap when that acrobatic cat balances a cake, a tea cup, a book, a fish, and more all while standing on a ball. (How did he do that?) They might even get all sad and put their head on dad’s lap when Thing 1 and Thing 2 are put back in their box.
Elise Langer, Gerald Drake, Dean Holt, Douglas Neithercott
Photo by Dan Norman, CTC
The Cat in the Hat is not only fun that is funny, it is colorful, fast-paced, and a delight for kids young and old. I could watch Dean Holt (Hat Cat), Gerald Drake (fish), and the crew over and over, and marvel at the amount of energy they exude. What appears so seamless and fine-tuned must take hours of rehearsal to get the timing just right with all the sound effects, placement – and balancing– of props, and waiting just the right amount of time for the next big moment. Oh, it is a delight for the senses. The Cat in the Hat is an ideal show to bring the youngsters for their first real live theatre experience. They actors love to hear the responses from their audience. It’s a story that is well-known and loved, and the actors keep it moving along with much physical humor and dialogue that stays true to the original work by Dr. Seuss. In less than an hour, a crazy cat enters and creates excitement on an otherwise gloomy day. A couple of Things tear up the place, and a fish is displaced, to say the least. All this transpires in less than an hour, and before it is done, you are a bit breathless yourself from all the stimulation!
Dean Holt as The Cat in the Hat at CTC, photo by Dan Norman
From the program notes by Artistic Director Peter Brosius: Dr. Seuss’ The Cat in the Hat, directed by Jason Ballweber, first premiered at CTC in September 2012, where it had the distinction of being the U.S. premiere of the National Theatre of Great Britain’s adaptation. CTC has a special relationship with Dr. Seuss: long the only theatre in the U.S.A. with permission to develop original productions based on his works, CTC is still the only theatre in the world with the rights to Dr. Seuss’ The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins and additionally created the theatrical version of Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas. (The Grinch will be produced again at CTC Nov. 11, 2014 – Jan. 4, 2015.)
The Cat in the Hat is playing at The Children’s Theatre Company, May 22-July 27, 2014. Also, showing at CTC is Shrek, the Musical, through June 15, 2014.
If you’re looking for theatre classes and camps in the metro, check out CTC’s offerings in the TAT program!
To see more photos of our artsy day in the Big City, visit my facebook page.
Go. Create. Inspire!
Journaling Prompt: What’s your favorite Dr. Seuss story? I’ve always loved The Sneetches and Yertle the Turtle.
And I bet it’s ten times better than the horrible movie!