Vivid Cat in a Vivid Hat for Toddlers

Roughly three years since the birth of my daughter, I finally had a chance to see what it was like to take my daughter to a First Stage show. The First Steps programs are designed specifically for the youngest theatergoers--recommended for children three and older.

I have to admit to being more than a little concerned. The attention span of a 3 year-old is not all that long. I've seen my daughter lose interest in a board books halfway into page three. She'll watch toddler-oriented pogromming on PBS, but she's often busy with toys while she's watching it. How would she react to being in a theatre and focussing exclusively on a show, even if it's abbreviated for the attention span of a very young kid?

Much to my relief, First Stage has put together a show that's exceedingly watchable, even to a child that may not have been to see live theatre before. First Steps shows are performed in a space in theMilwaukee Youth Arts Center on Walnut Street. Kids and parents can choose wherever they want to sit on the floor. Just pick up a carpet  square and sit down. The seating area is flanked by risers that parents and kids can sit on.

The current show (which opened yesterday) is The Cat in the Hat. It's a remarkably faithful adaptation of Dr' Seuss' classic. As there isn't much actual story in the book, the play takes on kind of a pleasantly feverish fugue of childlike imagination. A cast largely consisting of young actors in First Stage's theatre program perform most of the parts, anchored by Chris Feiereisen as the Cat in the Hat and Alison Mary Forbes as the fish. 

The show is directed by Katie Cummings with a huge help from Scenic Designer/Props Director Mark Hare. Hare has done beautiful work here. From The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T. (in 1953) to more recent film adaptations of Dr Seuss' work in both live action and computer animation, popular culture has seen quite a few attempts to bring the specific visual feel of Dr. Suess' art to life. True to the rest of the production, Hare brings a startlingly verbatim 3-dimensional Seussian visual reality to the stage. This is high fidelity visual Seuss right down to all those little extra strokes of the pen Seuss used to create depth on the page. Michelle Pendzich brings pulls that visual reality into the costuming design as well--much of which is vividly straightforward design, including a remarkably recognizable title character. In costuming for the fish, Pendzich has developed a remarkably sharp fish suit with Suessian embellishments that serve to accentuate a very Seussian fish puppet. It's kind of a mind-bending usual world created here without making the stage look at all cluttered or over-rendered. It's some of the most beautiful set design I've seen all season--costuming too. 

Without much n the way of plot. the two major antagonistic forces here have to spin the audience through a very dreamlike show that plays out in very little time without losing the attention of a progressive Generation Y toddler audience. Chris Feiereisen does a solidly good job of delivering that fun in the title role. To his credit, he also does a really good job of delivering the cat-like nature of a character who honestly doesn't come across as being particularly feline in Suess' original work. 

It doesn't come as any surprise that Alison Mary Forbes does a clever job here. The puppet is beautiful, but it doesn't have much of a range of emotion, so we look to Forbes' face to get an impression on the fish's emotional state. Forbes' comic musical theatre  talent shifts gears here to deliver an appealing kind of maternal goldfish that also serves as the conscience of the kids. She also introduces the show and leads the post-show talkback. Here Forbes serves as a remarkably warm and enthusiastic host. So often actors put in hosting roles come across as being cloyingly, abrasively over-enthusiastic. It feels forced. Forbes' energy here feels refreshingly genuine. 

To her credit, my daughter was able to sit comfortably through the entire show without getting too squirmy. She only spoke above a whisper a couple of times. I was genuinely impressed. Part of this was me being impressed with her (The one o'clock show took place during her nap time) Even the most patient child is going to have difficulty with something like this if it's not delivered to the stage with the right energy. Somewhere between structured and strangely surreal, First Stage's The Cat in the Hat does a very impressive job of holding the attention of toddlers who are born inhabiting an increasingly restless information-rich world. 

First Stage's The Cat in the Hat is recommended for kids ages 3 and up. The show runs through March 3rd at the Milwaukee Youth Arts Center on 325 West Walnut Street. For ticket reservations, visit First Stage online.