By Latrisha McDuffie
What happens when you give a mouse a cookie? It turns out a wild circus of a good time!
Dallas Children’s Theater (DCT) presents for the second time If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Numeroff and directed by Nancy Schaeffer. The popular book is one of my daughter Madison’s favorite books. So, when she saw that the DCT was presenting the book on stage; she was on a mission. She even recruited her twin sister, Kendall on her efforts, “Mommy, if I clean my room, make the honor roll, and give you a back massage can I go?” So, of course I gave in.
The play opens with a young boy left home alone to enjoy his favorite comic book, Jungle Man, played by Scott Zenreich (How I Became a Pirate). He shares a cookie with a precocious little mouse (Karl Schaeffer) and the fun begins.
Much like the circus, there is so much going on in this energetic production. Some wonderful moments include dancing with the glove and a nod to the famous “mirror” scene by the kings of shtick, the Marx Brothers. But perhaps the biggest moment is Schaeffer’s aerial silk work during a great scene where the boy reads the mouse a bedtime story about the adventures of Jungle Man. To perfect this scene, Karl Schaeffer worked for several months with eighth-generation circus performer Fanny Kerwich, founder of the Dallas-based Lone Star Circus.
The production team members make great contributions to the success of the play. Other production team members also bring the play to life for the audience. Randel Wright once again shows his talent for bringing children’s literature alive with set design and video projections that bring the Big Top to the stage. Marco Salinas also sings with his sound design. The music is the perfect mix of whimsy and vaudeville and it manages to propel Karl Schaeffer’s physical comedy to new heights.
The production of If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, will run through February 26 at the Dallas Children’s Theater’s Rosewood Center for Family Arts which is located at 5938 Skillman, Dallas. Ticket prices range from $12 – $24 and are available online at www.dct.org.
