OFF-BROADWAY REVIEW
STONE SOUP OFF-BROADWAY REVIEW
Published 2009-07-17
If you plan to be in the Village in the next few weeks and are looking for a light off-Broadway entertainment for children, you might consider Stone Soup (through August 16th at the Players Theatre, 115 MacDougal Street, between West 3rd Street and Bleecker, tickets $25 to $40). The goofy, good-natured cavorting of the Literally Alive theater troupe tends to tickle kids, and the 50-minute show is graced by the pleasing emanations of an almost-all-percussion pit band, dominated by delightful marimbas, delightfully played.
The story is an old one, simple but arch, with that steady, fabular rhythm kids dig. In the familiar tale, a hungry wanderer appears one day, unsuccessfully begging for food. No sooner does he propose to make "stone soup," asking only for some stones and a bubbling pot, than folks start to contribute carrots and turnips and, finally, hamhocks to add a touch of flavor. Presently the visitor, and the village, have a hearty soup to dine on. A little like how Tom Sawyer gets that fence painting done.
Book writer and lyricist Brenda Bell, founder of Literally Alive, has set the fable in Revolutionary America and, for good measure, written parts for two hungry wanderers, Soldier 1 and Soldier 2, played by Dustin Cross and Eric Fletcher. If Cross is a bit wooden, Fletcher makes up for it, the way a twister makes up for a dull day on the prairie. He is too much by three and a half, but the kids love it. He was great in Literally Alive's recent production of Treasure Island, a livelier, cleverer show.
The "workshop" that precedes the show, and is built into the price, is more like a brief, somewhat random diversion--the kids make charming little pots--than an important, organic part of the theatrical proceedings. At the same time, the children are creating a prop, which is kind of cool.
Click here to buy group tickets.
