OFF-BROADWAY REVIEW
OSCAR WILDE'S THE SELFISH GIANT
Reviewed by David Sanchez
Published 2008-09-15
Before the show began, the stage was filled to capacity with little ones cutting up construction paper and gluing cardboard petals onto paper plates, which in a matter of moments would become a part of the set for Literally Alive Children's Theatre production of "The Selfish Giant." It's a play adapted from a fable by Oscar Wilde and written for his own children. It's the Scrooge archetype of forgotten youth, adult cynicism, and eventual redemption and remembrance. It's a children's piece, but as with the best storytelling material aimed at kids, it has moments that appeal to adults.
Brenda Bell adapted the short story as well as directed this production. What's interesting about this piece is that written within the narrative is a theater education experience, as well. At the beginning of the show, Todd Eric Hawkins, who plays Oscar Wilde as well as the Selfish Giant, enters the stage and sits down to address the audience. There's a transparency to the entire artifice of theatre as shown by explaining and illustrating theatrical elements such as showing the wardrobe rack and having the three piece orchestra all in sight.
Mr. Hawkins is our host for this storytelling play, and rather than tell the children what is what, he offered up this question: what do we need to create a play? The answers were all correct, but at one point, a child answered "Candy!", which elicited a laugh from the audience. What was great about this approach to children's theater was that it engaged the children right away by removing the fourth wall.
The show employs shadow puppets and a host of comedic characters, two of the funniest being the two old birds, Myrtle and Gladys, as played by Stefanie Smith and Eric Fletcher. There's a tap dance section that represents hail, and with all of these elements put together, it makes for an imaginatively conceived production that kept the children absorbed for the entire show. With the children's set piece up there created prior to the show, it also makes them participants. At forty-five minutes long (not including the crafts workshop beforehand), it was just long enough for those short attention spans as well. It's a great way to keep the kids occupied on a Saturday morning.
The original music, inspired by traditional Irish music, was composed by Michael Sgouros, who also doubles as the percussionist for the show. In line with the Irish music and the Irish story, this production is a participant of the 1st Irish Play Festival.
Where some children's productions in the city sometimes miss the mark as to who their target audience is, "The Selfish Giant" succeeds on many accounts. This production marks the beginning of Literally Alive's 9th season, a theater company as dedicated to encouraging reading in children as it does theater-going. It has charm and even a little bit of that old theater magic.
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