It never occurs to me that I might like to go back and have really young children again—I’m so delighted with my teenage and young adult children and each of their wholly unique and remarkable takes on, and contributions to, the world.
But I found myself thinking Sunday, while spending part of my afternoon with families who’d come to see the Phoenix Theatre/Cookie Company production of “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie” at Stagebrush Theatre in Scottsdale, just how enchanting it might be to take a trip back in time to the days my own young children were first discovering the joys of live theater.
The show was everything you’d imagine it to be—charming, funny, imaginative, engaging. It’s adapted from the book “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie,” written by Laura Numeroff and illustrated by Felicia Bond, a favorite of families today as it was for us some 15 years or so ago when we had three children ages five and under.
What I treasured most about the day was seeing families linger after the show, enjoying the company of friends old and new, the free milk and cookies audience members receive after every show, and the wide open spaces around the theater so perfect for après-performance playtime.
I love getting dressed up and going to a fancy theater, sitting in plush seats, seeing folks in more formal attire. But there’s just something about Stagebrush Theatre that makes a Sunday afternoon sing. Outdoor benches and stairs create casual centers for conversation, transforming theater into a truly communal experience. (Soon they’ll have new ‘movie style’ seating inside the venue, thanks to a donation from Harkins Theatres.)
From the moment Robert Kolby Harper, artistic director for Cookie Company, stepped onto the stage to welcome young audience members, the house was in high-energy mode. One kindergarten-age boy in the center of the third row sat on the edge of his seat, with perfect posture, for the entire show. He, like so many others, was spellbound.
The show itself runs just 45 minutes, the perfect slice of theater for the preschool through elementary-age crowd. The music is a mix of genres, all upbeat and sometimes circus-like. (If this is your child’s first experience with the strings, horns and percussion of classical music, they’ll love its “get up and go” quality.) The lighting is a kid-friendly combo of bright yellows, pinks and greens.
Children reacted to the physical comedy, rapid-fire dialogue (that mouse can talk a mile a minute) and giant props—which make up the heart of the show—with wide-eyed excitement and lots of laughter.
The mouse may seem mischievous, but he certainly has fine manners, saying “please” each time his requests of the boy escalate, leaving the boy’s kitchen in complete disarray while his mother is away.
The young audience was enchanted watching actors Laura Christian-Brown, Shawna Quain-Weitekamp and Kyle Willis (last seen as the prince in Cookie Company’s “Cinderella Confidential”), and parents were enchanted by their children’s enchantment.
Picture a mouse in denim overalls attempting to drink milk from a straw resembling a striped candy cane twice his size, or whirling through a kitchen on skates made of scrub brushes, or acting out a bedtime story while a frustrated boy attempts to settle him down for a nap in his mother’s box of talcum powder.
The worry wart in me hesitated a bit while watching the mouse throw the loop of a rope over his head so he could secure it around his waist and climb atop the refrigerator to hang a work of crayon art. Kids loved the scene, but I’m hoping they won’t try it at home.
The hours in our days can slip away so softly that we hardly notice they were there. What Cookie Company can do with an hour of a child’s time is truly magical.
As children enter the lobby before the performance begins, they play games related to one of the show’s themes that would otherwise seem anything but fun—helping with the household chores—and take turns moving stuffed mice through foam core mazes.
They enjoy storytellers reading from related books like “If You Give a Moose a Muffin” and “If You Give a Cat a Cupcake.” (Cats and cupcakes don’t mix in the real world—so be sure your kids take note.) They make mouse masks complete with yarn whiskers they can either take home or display on lobby bulletin boards spotlighting kids’ creations.
After the show, children line up to meet and greet cast members who cheerfully pose for pictures, patiently sign autographs and sincerely ask children’s opinions of the show. Two of three cast members (we see a third cast member onstage during a mirror scene) kneel on the ground at eye-level with the children who’ve come to meet them.
I give Cookie Company high marks for their integration of sound child development principles into what children experience before, during and after their shows; for their ability to train, retain and recognize so many dedicated volunteers; for their collaboration with others in the community.
They participate, for example, in Public Allies—a program of the ASU Lodestar Center for Philanthropy & Nonprofit Innovation—which couples “young adults interested in social change” with nonprofit agencies who need “the assistance of an additional young staff member.”
Haddy Kreie, who is enjoying a 10-month apprenticeship with Phoenix Theatre, is a member of the Public Allies class of 2009-2010. She serves as community outreach coordinator for Phoenix Theatre/Greasepaint Youtheatre and is the assistant director for this production of “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie” (directed by Robert Kolby Harper, whose other hats include associate artistic director for Phoenix Theatre and artistic director for Greasepaint Youtheatre).
Thanks to this charming play, I now associate Cookie Company with a whimsical new image—a masterful mouse running to and fro in white boxer shorts with giant blue polka dots (the little boy had so hoped that letting the mouse get comfy would help him settle in to naptime).
Phoenix Theatre is a master of connecting all the dots.
–Lynn
Note: There are just three more performances of “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie” (Jan. 30th and 31st). Because shows sold out during the first weekend, you may want to secure tickets in advance rather than waiting until the day of the show. Ticket information is available at the Phoenix Theatre website or by calling 480-990-7405.
