'Moon': A Classic Comes to Life
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Friday, May 23, 2008
In the library of children's bedtime books, "Goodnight Moon" has had remarkable staying power. The 1947 picture book by Margaret Wise Brown, about a young bunny that wishes goodnight to everything it sees in its great green room, is still used to lull little ones to sleep.
But Adventure Theatre and Tribute Productions' staging of "Goodnight Moon" (running through June 1 at Glen Echo Park, then moving to the Atlas Performing Arts Center) is anything but a calming bedtime story. Rather, the play, which lasts about an hour, features lively musical numbers, colorful costumes and sets, and tap-dancing bears playing musical chairs.
Another draw? Every Friday performance will feature a pajama party with milk and cookies after the show. At last Friday's opening night, the pint-size crowd got into the theme, with children wearing flannel pants and the occasional bathrobe.
"Being able to leave the house in pajamas is a big deal for a 5-year-old," said Bethesda's Alex Stricker about his son, Ben. The Stricker family has gone through three "Goodnight Moon" books because "it gets chewed on a lot when they are young," Stricker says.
Like the book, the play begins with the young bunny avoiding bedtime, but unlike the book the bunny is wildly jumping on the bed insisting that "boys don't need beauty sleep." Every parent will sympathize with the pleading of the quiet old lady whispering, "Hush."
Silver Spring mother Pryscilla Franco says she enjoyed the play knowing that her 3-year-old daughter, Rebekah, won't be gleaning any ideas on how to evade bedtime.
"No, she doesn't need any," Franco says with a laugh. "She has plenty."
But the bunny theatrics (he dances with bears and hangs out with a plate) go well beyond anything parents have seen before or what is included in the original story, much to the delight of kids in the audience. The play draws on other bedtime classics, including "Hey Diddle Diddle," and such fantasy figures as the tooth fairy to flesh out the simple picture book.
In one scene, the characters from "Hey Diddle Diddle" dance and encourage the cow in a painting to jump over the moon. The painting becomes a mini-stage; the cow comes alive as a puppet (one of several in the play) and attempts the impossible feat.
Other surprises include an appearance by Mr. Nobody, shown as a blank page in the book. Mr. Nobody, the unseen prankster ("Who messed up your bed?" "Nobody."), dances and disrupts the calm order that the old woman is trying to enforce.
One thing is for sure, this retelling didn't put anyone, young or old, to sleep.
Goodnight Moon Through June 1 at Adventure Theatre, Glen Echo Park, 7300 MacArthur Blvd., Glen Echo (Tickets available for Tuesday, Wednesday and June 1 shows.) June 6 through June 22 in the Sprenger Theatre, Atlas Performing Arts Center, 1333 H St. NE (Tickets available for all shows.) Info: Adventure Theatre: 301-634-2270 or http:/
