Sentinel writer Matthew J. Palm checked out the latest children’s theater offering at the Orlando Repertory Theatre. Here’s what he had to say:
Berenstain Bears deliver life lessons with songs, fun
Who knew that a family of bears would be so much like a family of humans?
Nearly 50 years of children know, actually, having grown up with the Berenstain Bears.
Papa, Mama, Brother and Sister Bear have gently navigated the pitfalls of growing up since 1962 with their relentlessly sweet — some would say sappy — stories.
Translated to the stage as a musical, the Orlando Repertory Theatre’s current production breathes a lot of life into the two-dimensional Bears of the children’s storybooks.
At just under an hour, Berenstain Bears on Stage: A Bear Country Musical is the right length to keep the attention of its young audience (and attendant parents).
Helping move things along is the show’s structure, a series of vignettes. As the show moves from one to the next, the cute songs make their points Sesame Street-style, through repetition and rhyme.
The life lessons are still there — don’t lie, don’t give in to bullies and keep your bedroom clean — but thankfully, the actual message is often delivered in just one line, and sometimes in a manner that provides a refresher for adults: It’s easier to mend a broken lamp than repair broken trust is the moral of one tale.
But for every concept that goes over the heads of few, there’s one that will hit home for more than a few in the under-10 set: Clean that room, practice to get better. And, shockingly, when such dictates are being sung by friendly bears, it doesn’t come across as nagging.
That’s in part thanks to the good-natured cast, who never speak or sing down to the children. In particular, Alexander Thomas Ferguson, 18, brings youthful charm to the role of Brother, and Sam Little adds a wry touch as Cowboy Joe, the bear who narrates the proceedings and ties the vignettes together.
Wisely, director Jeffrey Revels doesn’t have his cast act like bears — no scratching, clawing or even growling in sight. Costume designer Marcy Singhaus’ clever wigs and facial makeup reveal the characters’ bear-ness without masking their humanity.
The Bears have gotten a bit hipper since my own childhood: They now apparently eat Happy Meals, worry about the ozone layer, and Mama has a canvas shopping bag that reads “Once you go green, you never go back.”
But the lessons they teach remain entertainingly timeless.
Berenstain Bears On Stage: A Bear Country Musical
•What: Orlando Repertory Theatre production of a musical based on the children’s books by Stan and Jan Berenstain.
•Where: Orlando Repertory Theatre, 1001 Princeton St. in Loch Haven Park, Orlando.
•When: 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. Saturdays, 2 and 5 p.m. Sundays, through March 28.
•Tickets: $11-$17.
•Call: 407-896-7365, Ext. 1.
•Online: OrlandoRep.com