THE BASICS: DON’T LET THE PIGEON DRIVE THE BUS! THE MUSICAL!, based on the book Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! by Mo Willems, directed by Grace Aroune with music direction by Stephen Schapero. 5/3 – 5/11, Sat – Sun 2:00. Presented by Theatre of Youth, 203 Allen Street, Buffalo, NY 14201 (716) 884.4400 theatreofyouth.org Recommended Ages: 3 to 9 years old.
NOTE: Special Sensory-friendly performance Sunday, 5/4 at 10:00 am. Scheduled Understudy Performance on Saturday, 5/10 at 2:00 pm.
RUNTIME: Just under one hour (56 minutes) plus a 10-minute “talk back” where the cast, sitting on the edge of the stage, answers questions from the young audience.
THUMBNAIL SKETCH: It’s not easy being a Pigeon. You never get to do ANYTHING! You often hear the word “NO!” either spoken or it pops out from the stage in big letters, and when the pigeon wants to try a hot dog, the vendor declares: “A pigeon can never appreciate the glory that is the hot dog.” Sigh. But when the Bus Driver has a mechanical breakdown that threatens to make her passengers (gasp!) late, it turns out that the pigeon can find inner strength and CAN do something. Featuring an innovative and amusing mix of song styles, just as with any “grown up” musical, and with the signature Theatre of Youth assortment of costumes, sets, props, and zany actors, this is a highly amusing adventure that kept a whole house of, I’m guessing 1st graders, squealing, laughing, and clapping along. Oh, and it’s fun for adults, too.
THE PLAYERS, THE PLAY, AND THE PRODUCTION: Mo Willems’ #1 New York Times best-selling, Caldecott Honor award-winning “Pigeon” picture books are spare, inviting the reader (or the person being read to) to immerse themselves in the story and to flesh out the details. But here, with music by Deborah Wicks La Puma (ELEPHANT & PIGGIE’S WE ARE IN A PLAY!) Willems has created a complete “Broadway” musical experience with many clever lyrics and a nice blend of song styles – ballads, anthems, and even a 1950s crooner song with a 3-duck backup group. That’s not something you’ll see every day. Well, not since 2017’s ELEPHANT AND PIGGIES unforgettable “Squirrelles.”
If you’ve never taken your little one to a Theatre of Youth (TOY) show, you might think it will be a dumbed-down, bare-bones event that will have you looking at your watch for 55 of the 56 minutes. Au contraire. TOY takes its mission very seriously, one part of which is to make sure that your charge will come away with a lifelong love of live theater. In her “Director’s Note,” Grace Aroune writes: “One of my very first theatrical experiences, if not the first, was right here as an audience member at TOY…. I took this memory with me into rehearsal with the goal of offering you a similar experience.” This reviewer can also assure you that, just as with Sesame Street, there are plenty of jokes and references that adults will “get.”…