Laguna Playhouse Stuart LIttle A Musical Fantasy

I don't think an adult can truly review a child's play. While I can enjoy the play too, it is a play for children and they are the true judge of such plays. With kids, you don't look for thumbs up or thumbs down. You look at how wide open their eyes are, how big their smile is, and how giggly and jittery they are. On a scale of 1 to 5, 5 being the widest open eyes, the biggest smile and the most giggly and jittery, my dauther ranked a 6.

She was never a big fan of the movie Stuart Little and wasn't excited about going mostly because she thought we were going to see a movie and not a play. But once the show started, she was in awe. She adored Stuart Little and thought the actor (girl) that played him was soooo awesome! So much so, she wasn't shy about getting her autograph after the show.

The set and costumes were very cute and just enough to spur the imagination. Marglo the bird, whom Stuart falls in love with, "flew" around on rollerblades and Stuart either dressed up as a human or wore cars and boats. The only thing it probably lacked is some great dance numbers. However, the songs and audio were great. Snowball the cat was a bit cliche for my taste but kids still like it.

It is a shame they put on so few children's plays per year. I would love to see them do at least 4 per year. I believe all kids should see live shows. They are just so much more personal than a movie. I would also love to see them do children's shows which feature all children actors (under 18). I have seen many teen actors and younger that are awesome and what great role models they would be!

If you've never been to the Laguna Playhouse, you really should check it out. It is a quaint little theater on Laguna Canyon Road offering shows for adults and youths at various times during the year. They also offer youth theater acting classes which my daughter attended last year. Their classes are great for even the shiest child. A very warm and gentle introduction to acting and musical theater.