January 29th, 2009 larry
Disney on Ice: Worlds of Fantasy has come to Chicago and will be here until February 8th. This is well worth the outing and is a must see for any Disney fan. If you are normally turned off by ice skating events - keep reading. This one is different. We had never been to an ice skating show before and were a little fearful that it would focus more on the ‘beauty of ice skating’ rather than what we really wanted: Disney characters, great costumes, well known Disney storylines, and the classic songs we could sing along with. To our delight, the performance was literally like watching your favorite Disney movie on ice and there were plenty of character appearances and special affects to keep even the youngest audience members captivated.
The performance consists of four main Disney stories: 1) Cars, 2) Little Mermaid, 3) Lion King and finally 4) Tinkerbell. You basically get the cliff notes version of each. As icing on the cake, Mickey, Minnie, Goofy and Donald emcee the show. While it might help if your kids have a basic understanding of the four stories or at least know the main characters for each, there is good narration throughout to help you learn and follow along if you aren’t familiar with them.
The show runs a little long for younger kids (it’s almost exactly 2 hours long including an intermission). So, be prepared for that – entertainment, food and bathroom-break-wise. We took our 3 year old son and 1 year old daughter. Surprisingly, they were both completely captivated and entertained throughout most of the show. For parents with boys only, you will find the most enjoyment from the first three skits. Don’t be late as Cars is the first part of the show and offers amazing props including life-size versions of Lightning McQueen, Sally, Mater which actually zoom around the ice (virtually no ice skating in this one). Very Cool.
The Little Mermaid was a really good performance as well. The costumes of Ariel, Flounder, Sebastian, and Ursula were particularly good. The storyline was easy to follow and incorporated all of the key elements from the movie. This performance was the artistic masterpiece of the whole show. The way the skaters floated around the ice with waves of fabric simulating water was beautiful and the rest of the show was equally as impressive.
Next came The Lion King, which was very engaging. Of course the music was amazing, and again the performance hit on all the best parts of the movie. While the lion costumes were a little disappointing, the abundance of other animals that flooded the ice (zebras, giraffes, birds, etc.) was truly awesome, and captivated every member of the audience.
Following the intermission, the final piece of the show was the Tinkerbell performance. Tinkerbell seemed to be a huge hit with girls age 3-7 (and some moms). The rest of the audience seemed to get a little restless halfway through. The grand finale, including confetti snow that falls from the sky and a flying Tinkerbell who floats above the crowd, regains everyone’s attention though and is well worth the wait.
The sound quality and scripts of all the shows were very good BUT the costumes, props, lighting, music, confetti and large number of skaters are what really make the show so terrific. The quality of the show is comparable to any well done theater performance. Disney lives up to its reputation with this one. We’ve heard some bad reviews about some of the past Disney on Ice performances, but they certainly redeem themselves here.
Like any performance at a large venue, beware of the concession stand prices. They are ridiculous. Try to sneak in appropriate snacks, drinks and Disney fan-fare so you don’t have to buy too much. The character-themed bucket of popcorn is hard to resist though, even at $10.
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Mom Says: I think I enjoyed this show as much as each of my kids, and that is saying a lot! Their joy came mostly from the spectacular costumes and amazing music. My joy came from their excitement and being able to share these classic Disney stories with them in such a fun and interactive way. It is a great family-friendly outing.
Dad Says: I was pleasantly surprised by the whole thing and would definitely go again. Cars was by far the best. My son’s eyes popped as if it were Christmas morning when he saw Lightning McQueen zoom onto the ice. Be prepared for a very slow exit once the show is over…the concession stands and vendors do a great job attracting the attention of all the kids as you exit. It makes for a very slow walk.
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January 21st, 2009 larry
Emerald City Theatre Company is arguably the best children’s theater in Chicago. We recently enjoyed their productions of “If You Take a Mouse to School” and “Hansel and Gretel,” so our expectations were high for “Dr. Dolittle.” The play follows the adventures of a little boy, Tommy Stubbins, who joins Dr. Dolittle for adventures and a quest to learn how to communicate with animals and become a great naturalist. ”Dr. Dolittle” plays at the Apollo Theater now through March 14, 2009. Tickets cost $15 for adults and $12 for children.
It is very hard to adapt stories for children’s theater because the shows run for exactly one hour. Theater companies have the challenge of either editing a long story down while retaining continuity, or stretching a short tale out without being boring or ridiculous. I have sympathy for these storytellers - it’s a hard job. In the case of Dr. Dolittle they are clearly abridging a very long novel into a short play. They chose to take many tidbits from the Voyages of Dr. Dolittle and string them together rather then focusing on a few selections. This created a play where the characters are jumping from introductions to a trial to a boat trip to a bull fight to an island to an underwater journey to the conclusion. Ambitious, yet disjointed and difficult to follow.
The young actor who plays Tommy Stubbins is valiantly trying to do all his lines with a thick English accent. Yet this makes it extremely hard to understand everything he is saying. As he gets more comfortable with this role I hope he is able to slow down and enunciate more clearly. With the exception of Dr. Dolittle and Stubbins, all the other actors play multiple roles which include the various animals. Again the use of accents for all the different voices was hard to understand, as all the actors seemed to feel doing a strange voice was the best way to differentiate the characters.
We did enjoy the use of puppetry in the production. There is a menagerie of animals portrayed through hand puppets and marionettes. The most well integrated being Polynesia the Parrot and Miranda the Purple Bird of Paradise. Both characters were easy to understand and necessary to tell the story. I applaud Mary Williamson, who was hilarious in “If You Take a Mouse to School” and played many roles in ”Dr. Dolittle.” Her characters, specifically Miranda and the Widow Fidget, had spunk and humor that made her a standout. Our favorite parts were the bullfight which was extremely funny and we loved the staging of the underwater journey.
As we are diehard Emerald City fans, look for our next blog for their performance of Cinderella in February.
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January 14th, 2009 larry
Its awards season and it doesn’t look like our favorite movie of the year, Iron Man, is getting much mention. However, we thought we would add one more award for you: the Crazy Kids Members’ Choice award. Since we don’t have a prime time show (yet), we’ll just have to honor these awards on this blog. To get on this awards list, the organizations needed to have an average of a 5 star rating and multiple review. These are the organizations that you have reviewed and voted for all year long. In no particular order, the envelope please:
1. Kohl Children’s Museum. Located in the Glenn, this Children’s Museum has been voted the king of museum’s in the Chicagoloand area. Members comment about the spacious accommodations, the various activities for all ages groups, and maybe what gives it the edge over Navy Pier — free parking.
2. Brookfield Zoo. The a la carte pricing within the zoo doesn’t scare away our members. Members comment about the educational aspects, the Family Play Zoo, the Children’s Zoo and the different rides - trains and carousels. We just went in 20 degree weather to Holiday Lights and it was extremely fun.
3. Monkey Island. We have talked about Monkey Island several times since we started the blog this year. This mammoth warehouse of bouncies and climbing mazes never seems to get crowded. The free wi-fi and spacious lounge area makes it easy for parents to hang out and watch the kids. They aren’t going anywhere because you have to drag your kid out kicking and screaming to leave.
4. All Aboard Diner. Trains have also been a pervasive them this year. Downers Grove’s All Aboard Diner serves food to the kids via a train. Just to make sure the food gets eaten, members tell us that the food is pretty good as well. Mixed with the arcade, interactive trains and mini-amusement parks, this is a pretty entertaining lunch.
5. Northerly Island. The city spent hundreds of millions of dollars on Millenium Park and people come out in droves to check their investment. So if you want to escape the crowds for an equally impressive and beautiful view, check out Northerly Island. Members remark and the fantastic jogging paths, great picnics, and, interestingly, fishing.
6. Room2Play. As far as playplaces go, this is one at the top of the list according to Crazy Kids members. Members comment on the loft like spacious area with great lighting, toys kept in great shape, and their classes like Karate and Groovy Tots dance class. Making sure there is coffee every morning scored big with our members.
7. Lincoln Park Zoo. Chicago’s free zoo gets high marks across the boards for the famous climbing apparatus in the children’s zoo, parking and other benefits for members, clean bathrooms, great indoor attractions for year around (and air conditioning in the summer) viewing, and small enough that you can visit all the animals in a day.
8. Didier Farms. For Crazy Kids members, this seems to be the spot of choice for Halloween season. With plenty of outdoor activities like Tee Pees, pony rides, petting zoo, and Scarecrow Alley, this venue keeps the kids outside right before winter hits. Obviously, the pumpkin patch is a big hit with bouncies and carnival rides to add a little more excitement.
9. Spray N’ Play. Buffalo Grove gets top ratings for a water park without pools and slides for smaller toddlers. Members remark on how easy it is for the kids to play with each other, the variety of apparatuses that are spraying, spitting, and leaking water, and how wet everyone gets.
10. Veteran Acres Park. Crystal Lake gets kudos for this fantastic playground and nature center. Members comment on the apparatus for all ages, cleanliness, sledding and skating in the winter, nature hikes in the woods nearby, community center with classes and performances, and lots of picnic tables for eating.
Larry and Donna.
Dad Says: We have tested all of these places and this is a fantastic list. Make it a point to try to visit these venues this year if you haven’t seen them yet.
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January 7th, 2009 larry
The holidays, and the vacations that occur over the holidays, is the type of time off where you need a vacation from your vacation, or time off after your time off. The exhaustion of entertaining family, entertaining kids who are off of school, trying to get in a little fun yourself, and even sneaking in a little work takes a toll on everyone. After all of the holiday revelry, we were looking for places that will entertain the kids and maybe provide a little relaxation for us. Several of our favorite places have stepped up to the plate to help us out.
Victory Gardens’ Family Saturday (located on Lincoln and Fullerton in Chicago) is a very innovative program. While you watch a play or musical on their mainstage, your younger kids (age 4-12) can play in their rehearsal room with professional educators for $5. We dropped our kid off during the Snow Queen and he could barely contain himself after the show to tell us about all of the fun things he did. The room is big enough to do some physical activity like duck, duck goose, but it seemed the really fun stuff was the arts and crafts like making puppets out of paper bags. The staff tries to relate the activities back to the play going on (Snow Queen has puppets). We felt that the educators who took care of the kids were absolutely fantastic, fun, and patient and really gained the kid’s trust very quickly which allowed us to enjoy the show. The next Family Saturday is February 7 during the run of Living Green (which will undoubtedly be as great as Victory Gardens’ other shows).
Day Frog (on Michigan Avenue in Chicago) has always done a great job of entertaining your kids while you hang out and talk to the other parents. But now Day Frog has really upped the ante by offering free classes during the day - every day. Don’t let the price fool you, these are professional classes with professional fun. Examples of classes include: Exploring Art (teaching kids 1-6 art), Story Time (all ages), Cooking Club (kids and parents will make some tasty treats), Music and Movement (learn songs and exercise at the same time), Earth Aware Kids (kids learn about environmental concerns through games and arts and crafts), Silly Situations (having fun pretending). Our coupon on the site will still be honored and you can check Day Frog’s schedule for when these different classes are playing. You still need to be present at Day Frog (though they are contemplating drop-off classes), but their staff is doing the heavy lifting.
Larry and Donna
Mom Says: Day Frog continues to impress me. This is the most innovative play space in the city and these new classes are icing on the cake. It was worth the $15 admission before, but with the new classes it is a huge value.
Dad Says: I really didn’t know what to expect at Victory Gardens Family Saturday but I could not be more impressed with their class instructor. She was fun, creative, and great with the kids.
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