First Stage’s Engaging ‘Elephant & Piggie’

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Photo by Paul Ruffolo

First Stage Elephant & Piggie’s “We Are In a Play!”

James Carrington and Rachael Zientek (on platform) and cast in First Stage's ‘Elephant & Piggie’s “We Are In a Play!”’

Children’s author Mo Willems’ popular pair of characters get another trip to the stage with First Stage’s production of Elephant & Piggie’s “We Are In a Play!” James Carrington and Rachael Zientek are charming as a couple of anthropomorphized friends navigating the difficult waters of friendship. They go to a party. They share some ice cream. And then ... they realize they’re onstage. The two adults are joined by a cast of child performers playing a cool quartet of squirrels, a dog and a penguin. The witty energy of Willems’ books quickly whisks across the stage in a 60-minute performance that is short enough to maintain the interest of even the smallest theatergoers. 

Wiillems wrote the script and the music himself. There’s a grand sense of depth about the story, which fuses together a couple of elements from a few of his books. Carrington and Zientek do a brilliant job of thoughtfully and compassionately amplifying the emotional lives of a couple of characters who are every bit as energetic and sensitive as the young readers who have made them so successful in over two dozen books. All too often, children’s fare tends to cloyingly exaggerate emotion in the interest of connecting-up with an audience of children. Carrington and Zientek respectfully live the reality of human emotion through a couple of kid-like characters. Em Allen’s scenic design builds a colorful world for the two characters centered around an ingenious central platform the doubles as storage for various props and other elements. The color scheme for the production brilliantly transfers the pleasant pastels of Willems’ books to a snug, little theater-in-the-round performance space.

First Stage’s production of Elephant & Piggie’s “We Are In a Play!” Continues through March 24 at Milwaukee Youth Arts Center, 325 W. Walnut St. For ticket reservations and more, visit First Stage online.