Mermaid City Kids | Norfolk, VA : children's theatre of hampton roads

Friday 5: Upcoming Kid-Friendly Theater Productions

I'm not a huge fan of going to the movies (I'd rather curl up at home), but I LOVE going to the theater. I got the theater bug as a really little kid (my parents and sister can attest to that -- I think they still remember those Broadway soundtracks by heart). There's just something about the plush theater seats, the playbill, the curtain, the energy coming from the performers. I'm convinced Anne is going to be a theater fan, too, or else I'm going to do my best to take her to as many shows as possible in the hopes that it will stick.

Luckily we have so many chances to catch live performances in the HRVA area. Here are a few kid-friendly shows coming up around town in the next few months. Buy your tickets now and take the whole family!

1. The Witch of Pungo at the Virginia Beach Oceanfront: The Witch of Pungo is an musical production based on the life of Grace Sherwood, who was tried and convicted of being a witch back in the 1660s (she survived). Older kids will enjoy this (30-minute) outdoor performance on the VB Oceanfront that's become a summertime tradition. It's free, and runs through the end of August.

2. Jungle Book by Hurrah Players: The Hurrah Players always put on a great, professional show. This production has been adapted from the Disney movie (my favorite!), and runs August 22, 23, and 24.

3. Robin Hood by the Childrens Theater of Hampton Roads: We've been to a couple of shows put on by the Childrens Theater of Hampton Roads and enjoyed them so much! The actors do their best to keep the show entertaining for all ages (jokes parents will get, staging simple enough for the youngest showgoers) and to involve the audience as much as they can. Robin Hood will run in September in Suffolk and Virginia Beach.

4. The Sound of Music at Peninsula Theatre: This is a great show for beginner musical fans -- the score is familiar, the story is heart-warming, and the songs are amazingly catchy. The Sound of Music will run every weekend in August. For littler ones, don't miss The Reluctant Dragon in September.

5. Peter Pan at Smithfield Little Theatre: Is there any more magical theatre moment than watching Peter alight on the windowsill of the Darling children's nursery for the first time? Peter Pan was the first musical I ever went to, and I would love it if it's Anne's, too. Peter Pan will go on stage in October.

Are your kids little theater buffs? What was the first play that you remember seeing as a kid?

Have a great weekend!

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, by Cath

children's theatre of hampton roads

The Children's Theatre of Hampton Roads: Bucket of Monkeys Improv Troupe

Almost as soon as Anne was born, I started dreaming about all of the fun things we would do together in coming years. One thing in particular that I thought about over and over again was getting dressed up and going to the theater together. I looked forward to sitting in a darkened theater with A. and watching her little face grow rapt as the actors on stage grabbed her imagination and carried it away.

This past Sunday was a very special day for us. We got dressed (not up, but I did manage to find matching socks for us both, which is a pretty big deal) and drove to the Virginia Beach central library, where we saw The Children's Theatre of Hampton Roads' improv troupe, Bucket of Monkeys, put on The Three Musketeers. Our very first show -- first of many, I hope.

I was impressed with pretty much everything about CTHR: from their mission, to provide children's theater that is educational, interactive, and affordable, to the way the actors managed to translate a complicated story in a way that would be fun for a wide age range of audience members (including the parents), to the props (foam swords!) that they handed out as we left the auditorium after the lights came up.

I was also impressed by how well the five actors in the troupe worked together, and how much heart they put into their performances. Each one of the performers was highly skilled (and obviously having a blast), but special mention needs to be made of Jessica Pinsky's villain, the Comte de Rochefort, who was so over-the-top, appealingly evil that we couldn't help but root for him despite ourselves. (I also have to give props to Alex Gaver, the hardest working woman in show business, who provided us with a whole cast of supporting characters, including an entire ARMY). Best of all, the cast did a meet and greet after the show, so we got to shake their hands, collect some autographs, and tell them in person how much fun we had.

At 21 months, Baby A. was probably the youngest audience member there, and there were moments in the hour-long performance when she got a little squirmy. But she also danced, clapped, laughed, and by the end, was putting her arms up in the musketeer cheer with the rest of us. And to see her doing that was everything I hoped it would be.

There are two more chances this month to catch Bucket of Monkeys doing The Three Musketeers: they'll be at the Suffolk Center for the Cultural Arts this Saturday at 11 AM, and back at the VB central library on January 27th, at 2 PM. Tickets are only $5! (Click here for more information about these performances and to read about upcoming productions.)