October 27th, 2008 larry
This week we saw two live performances: Little Red Riding Hood by the Chicago Kids Company and the Wee Hairy Beasties at the Old Town School of Folk Music. Little Red Hiding is performing Oct. 11 thru Nov. 22, Saturdays only 10am at the Wilmette Theater and Oct. 31 thru Nov. 26 at the Beverly Arts Center. The tickets to the show cost $10 per person.
We all know the story of Little Red Riding Hood. This production takes the traditional story and interjects contemporary slang, dancing and music. The show started strong with a great song, Little Red, and was fun in that they came off the stage into the audience. The first act ends with a cautionary song from Red’s mom, Don’t Stray From the Path, warning Red of the dangers that lie ahead as she walks towards Grandma’s house.
The second act is when the show really loses it’s way. As Red walked through the forest to Grandma’s house she inexplicably runs into Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz and Snow White. Truly just a walk through by each of these characters, it makes no sense and isn’t fun. This second act was a time-filler and the kids in the audience got really antsy and chatty.
The third act takes place at Grandma’s house. Grandma got a few laughs as she busted a move and did some silly dancing. True to the fairy tale the Wolf pretends to be Red and comes into Grandma’s house. I know this fairy tale is dark, but it was a bit disturbing that they played the music from Psycho as the Wolf attacks Grandma. In the end we find out that Grandma was just tied up in the closet, but at the time the audience really thinks the Wolf ate Grandma. I could see a bit of fear in my son’s eyes. Again, not fun. The show ends in a whirlwind of chaos and even though the production has a running time of just under an hour, it felt longer and we were ready for it to be over.
I cannot recommend this production. Unfortunately the whole effect of the show fell below my expectations. They lost their way in the storytelling and used chaos as a fallback.
On a much better note… the Wee Hairy Beasties has been a Chicago favorite for kids for several years now. They play everywhere from the Old Town Folk and Roots Festival to Kidzapalooza. Led by front man Jon Langford from the Waco Brothers and the Mekons, Wee Hairy Beasties is kind of a blues/country sound utilizing odd instruments like washboards, eggs, and other strange percussion. The music is funny for kids, enjoyable for adults, and there is always a surprise or two. At the Old Town School of Music this past Saturday, they played as the Wee Scary Beasties in honor of the Halloween season.
Kids, staff, and the band were in costumes. During the concert, they did a concert parade that included pirates, Goofy, Buzz Lightyear, witches, cowboys, and Curious George. But, of course, the star of the show is the music. The Beasties do a great job of introducing each song so that the kids know what they are about and what the chorus will be. This usually gets the kids engaged and yelling out the chorus for songs like Pumpkinhead, Slow Down (about watching out for animals in the road), and Wildthing (the classic song itself).
Some of the funnest moments were the supposed Public Service Announcements by the bands washboardist. These 45 second songs provide advice to parents that may seem a bit unconventional. These tidbits include eating ice cream for breakfast, don’t eat yellow snow, and “don’t hold it in, just let it rip” which referenced gaseous stomach issues. The Wee Scary Beasties are at their best during their most clever songs. “Dinosaur Christmas” tells the story of Santasaurus and how he keeps the dinasaurs’ spirits up during the Ice Age. “The Creepy Lullaby” was a special treat for the Halloween season. ”My Shadow is Following Me” helps explain that funny dark thing that you can’t get rid of. And our favorite song was the ”Smelly Belly Button Blues” which tells the story of Dave, a creature that lives inside the belly button of parents and guards against kids sticking their finger in their parents belly button.
Review Red Riding Hood
Review Wee Hairy Beasties
Larry and Donna
Mom Says: I really wanted to like Little Red Riding Hood, but the production falls short. In these tough economic times, please save your hard earned $$ for a more worthy production.
Dad Says: I was always a pretty big Waco Brothers fan and Jon Langford brings his clever style and sense of humor to kids music. Our kid likes the music, it isn’t too loud, and he giggles at lyrics that use the word belly button. By all of the kids dancing in the “mosh pit”, it looks like a great time was had by all. Try to catch Wee Hairy Beasties at their next show.
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October 19th, 2008 larry
Many adjectives are used to describe our kids: cute, loveble, smart, sloppy, hungry, small, and sometimes a little smelly. But I also think that kids are some of the funniest people I know. The things they say, the order of their words, and the phrases they put together (”Look at me, I am upside over” or “I can’t like that”), just makes me laugh as much as any comedy on TV. To see if our kid could be the next Chris Rock or Jerry Seinfeld, we went to ComedySportz on Belmont for his first encounter with professional improvisation comedy. Every Saturday at 2:00pm, ComedySportz does ComedySportz4Kidz which is a 50 minute participation show for kids. Tickets are $8.
ComedySportz is a small venue that is about 7 or 8 rows deep in an intimate setting. The show is performed by two “players” and their coach who is really the master of ceremonies. Coach Tam ran things and got the audience of kids participating immediately. The audience practiced yelling “Kids,” “Hush,” and “Go Go Go” which got them in the right mood for the show.
Before the show, the actors collected names of the kids and their favorite lines from their parents, songs, movies, and TV shows. The first improv game was called “Do Stuff, Say Stuff.” The actors played a scene and when they needed a line, they would pick up a piece of paper from the floor that had one of the kids’ lines on it. These lines like, “Barnacle head,” “I don’t know,” or “He’s a demon on wheels” usually changed the trajectory of the scene.
The next game was “Dr. Know It All” in which the actors take a kid from the audience and the three of them answer questions from the audience. The catch is they answer the question by each person saying one word at a time. Other games included re-enacting a fairy tale, the barnyard symphony (where several kids get on stage, each kid is assigned a farm animal noise, and the coach conducts the symphony by pointing to the different kids), and a “complete the sentences” improvisation where the actors have a conversation and ask two kids on stage to finish their sentences. The show ended with a topic generated by the audience (in our case dinosaurs) and the actors created a song and did a dance. The kids got a big kick out of Max the Dinosaur and the fun dance that went with it.
ComedySportz4Kidz just began in September at ComedySportz and you can tell they are still working out the kinks. They recommend this show for children 10 and under. At our performance the oldest kids were 6 years old and the youngest were 3 and 4. The 6 year olds could hold their own, but the younger ones didn’t know what to do once they got on stage. This made it challenging for the actors. We expect that when the audience has a better mix older children (6-10 years), with the younger ones, the show works more smoothly.
But the actors need to be ready to spoon feed the kids a little more and lead them into something funny more obviously. They can’t expect kids to be as quick as adults. Though some of the actors seemed familiar with kids’ stories and popular culture themes (Thomas, Sesame Street, Disney), others weren’t and that causes a disconnect between some of the kids’ improv ideas. The actors also need to rebound better when they get a quiet kid or someone gets stage fright. Our kid was very vocal from the audience but melted down on stage. Looks like Conan will get Jay’s show after all.
We would say, if you have little kids give this show about 30 more days and then go and see it. If you have older children you will have a great time now. The laughs were great and when they smooth some of potholes, this is going to be very cute and funny.
Review This Blog
Larry and Donna
Mom Says: Going to comedy clubs was something I enjoyed doing before I had children. As I’ve said before, I love it when venues like this make it possible for me to do these activities again - with my son. This is very fun and we all had a good time. It will only get better as the performers get more comfortable performing with children and are better able to play off their unpredictability. (On another note - this would be a great place to host a birthday party for a child 6-10 years old.)
Dad Says: Kids are the funniest people I know. The exuberance, energy, and complete unpredictability of what comes out of their mouth makes these improvisation games very fun.
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October 13th, 2008 larry
Welcome to our first Halloween Guide. With the enormous amount of Halloween events in the area, we have assembled a short list of some of the best pumpkin patches and events in the Chicagoland area for you to visit. In this Blog, we review Didier Farms Pumpkinfest and the Haunted Sanitarium to give you a taste of some of these places. While you are trying to figure out your kids’ costumes and the trick or treating plan, these places will keep you occupied and entertained.
The Haunted Sanitarium on Fullerton and Lakeshore Drive is $10 for adults and $8 for kids and students. The Sanitarium advertises that it is for kids over 13 (PG-13) and we would have to agree (maybe 11 or 12 years old is OK). The Sanitarium paces people as they enter the haunted house so that you’ll be all alone in each room. To test it, we did not bring our kid on Saturday night and instead we went through the Sanitarium together. With Mom vice-gripped to my arm, nails digging into skin, the tour starts off by having to squeeze through some black bumpers in the pitch dark. They repeat this a couple of times and it is pretty creepy as you don’t know when it will end and if you will get stuck.
The key to this haunted house is the costumed people that ambush you, sneak up on you, yell at you, and spook you. There is an exorcist scene with someone spewing vomit, there are silent people dressed in black with white faces following you, large 10 foot trolls shouting and chasing you, and a mirror room where you have to figure your way out while a nasty thing yells in your face. Probably the most startling point is an ugly guy coming out of the wall with a roaring chainsaw (this received the largest of the many screams from Mom). The nastiest thing is walking through a pitch dark hallway with tiny, wet stringy things hanging from the ceiling.
The Sanitarium seems a little expensive for an 8 minute tour. But it has some pretty good laughs and you’ll probably scream or jump at least twice (Mom jumped about five times). If you are trying to create an intimate moment with your spouse, it is not a bad call. The other events we are recommending this season includes Festival of Happy Haunts at Kiddieland, Franken Plaza, Spooktacular at Cosley Zoo, Boo at the Zoo at Brookfield Zoo, Halloween Hayday in Geneva, The State Street Halloween Happening, Trains Tricks and Treats at the Botanical Garden and Spooky Seas at the Shedd Aquarium.
We went out to Didier Farms on Friday for a little pre-Halloween fun. Even though it was packed with families and field trips we did not have to wait for any of the attractions and had a great time. It is spread out over a large enough space to disburse the crowds, but is very manageable for the little ones. My four year old loved the burlap sack slide, the inflatable jumper and the corn maze, while my two year old nephew loved the mini carnival attractions and the hay ride. Admission to Didier Farms is free, but each of these activities costs about $3. ($3 for one trip down the burlap sack slide seems a little much) For the two kids we bought 40 tickets. At $1 per ticket this is pretty pricey, but if you don’t use all your tickets on activities, Didier will let you use them towards buying pumpkins or food.
Our kids did enjoy some of Didier Farms free activities as well. They loved putting their faces through all the cutout figures for pictures, looking at the bunnies and chickens, and playing in the tee pees. On Thursdays between 2-6pm you can do unlimited rides for $12, but there’s a catch. Not all activities are available during the week. If you want to get the most out of Didier, go on Friday, Saturday or Sunday.
For more pumpkin patches, check out Bengston’s Pumpkin Farm, Butterprint Farm, County Line Orchard, Dollinger Family Farm, Goebbert’s Farm & Garden Center, Goebbert’s Pumpkin Patch, Johansen Farms, Kinsch’s Autum Fun Fest, and Kuipers Family Farm Pumpkin Patch.
Click the links above to review any of these items.
Larry and Donna
Mom Says: This is such a beautiful time of the year and there is an abundance of opportunities to make great memories with your children. Get out there and take advantage of the fun.
Dad Says: Halloween has become as big as the December holidays at our house. The planning for the costume starts in March and continues up until the last minute. Going to some of these other great events just builds up the suspense and the big moment on Halloween for our kid.
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October 4th, 2008 larry
Our quest to try every indoor water park in the area continues with the Mayan Adventure at the Holiday Inn in Elmhurst. Elmhurst was surprisingly not that far from the city (about 30 minutes) and the Holiday Inn makes their water park available to people not staying at the hotel for $30 a person.
The Mayan Adventure is simple, easy to navigate, and has most of what you need. There are two large water slides for adults and bigger kids, one you can ride with an intertube. There is a lazy river where you can ride tubes, float and bounce around the whole park. I walked next to my four year old around the lazy river about 5 times while he tried to stand, kneel, and float on a tube, only to flip into the water every few minutes. There is a small pool with basketball hoops where you can swim, jump, and take free throws. There is also a huge hot tub to relax in.
The Mayan personality really shows in the kids area of the water park. There is a zero depth area with three slides, water guns, a large coconut that spills over every 5-10 minutes, and plenty of water jets coming out of the ground and elsewhere. We spent most of our time in this area, where we needed to make sure each slide was working under full stress: so we went down each slide about 30 times. After each slide my kid would run (of course running is prohibited) around the entire kids area, under all the showers and sprayers, and back up to the slides.
Uniquely at the Mayan Adventure, the water is surrounded by a video and game arcade. They have some great video games (motorcycles, Galaga, etc.) as well as skee-ball, air hockey, basketball hoops. You can easily go into this area when you get out of the pool, play a couple of games and get wet again. The food is not bad but closes early (around 5:00 on Sunday). We actually had a great time at the ice cream vending machine where an electronic vacuum looking thing finds your choice, descends on it, and deposits it into the basket. We had three ice cream sandwiches just to see it work.
The Mayan Adventure is clean, fun, and seems to be a little less crowded than other venues. Even with three birthday parties there, we could easily navigate the park, ride on anything we wanted to with minimum wait, and also do a little swimming. It is too bad they don’t have medium sized water slides in between the large adult ones and the kiddie area, something in the middle. The lifeguards were great and allowed the kids to have fun without skimping on safety.
Review Mayan Adventure
Dad Says: I really liked the fact that the lifeguards weren’t always on the kids cases and let them play in the water park without constantly hearing a whistle, but I still felt safe. The Mayan Adventure does not have all of the bells and buzzers of some of the other water parks, , but it is also less crowded, easy to navigate, and the arcade games in close range is nice.
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