Corduroy - Children's Theatre Company

Originally created and produced in 2018, this fantastic show is back at the Children's Theatre Company! Corduroy is based on the books Corduroy, and A Pocket for Corduroy, both written by Don Freeman, and adapted for the stage by Barry Kornhauser. The play is the winner of the American Alliance for Theatre & Education "Distinguished Play" award, and is directed by Peter C. Brosius. I have not read these books, and knew nothing about the show beyond it being the story of a teddy bear who lives or is lost in a department store. I went with a friend of mine and her almost 4-yr old child. It was his first experience at the any theatre and it was the perfect first experience.

This play is an incredibly fun romp! The story starts with Lisa and her mom finishing shopping at Freeman's Dept Store, and taking a chance by walking through the toy section on their way out. Lisa immediately falls in love with an adorable teddy bear wearing overalls...which are missing a single button. The store is closing so they don't buy the bear, but we know that Lisa whispered a promise into the bear's ear. The store closes, lights go out, the nighttime security guard starts her watch and the fun begins. Lisa begs her mom all the way home to go back and get Corduroy - which is what Lisa named the bear. It is eventually decided that if Lisa can do extra chores around the house, she may get an advance in her allowance. The play focuses on two story lines at this point. The first is Lisa doing extra chores and somehow making things worse - in very funny ways. The second story is Corduroy coming to life, realizing that Lisa wants to be his friend, AND that he is missing a button. The rest of the show switches from the antics of Corduroy creating chaos in every department of Freemans as he searches for a button while the security guard tries to figure out who is causing the chaos, and Lisa trying her best but also creating chaos at home in the mishaps while she is doing her extra chores.

There is so much visual and physical comedy in this play! So much action for young eyes to take in, a story that is fairly simple to follow - even if you don't understand all the words, and at the same time plenty of wordplay, and tomfoolery for older kids as well. Dean Holt returns to play Corduroy. What an amazing performance! The faces he makes, and the incredible physical comedy that he does was astounding. There is a lot of water being squirted and splashed around on stage, and at the audience for a bit as well. This is one aspect that I really loved is that the actors didn't just stay on the stage. They crossed down the front of the audience, had small interactions with the audience, and created such magical joy for everyone watching. Autumn Ness plays the Nighttime Security Guard who always seems to get caught up in the tail end of Corduroy's chaos. She thinks there is an intruder, a "Crinimal" (as she says it, which made me chuckle every time), but every time she gets to where the noise and mess is...all she finds is a teddy bear. The interplay she has with the stuffed bear, and all the other objects in the store that seemingly come to life on their own was hilarious to watch, and the kids were laughing it up. 

In the other story, Lisa (played by Ayla Porter) and her mom (played by Alexcia Thompson) are having their own difficulties. While there may not be as much magic as a disappearing full-size teddy bear, there is still a lot of fun and humor to be witnessed. Lisa has a great imagination and is trying her best to go the extra step - like putting a whole bottle of bubbles into her mom's bath, then losing the cap down the drain of the sink, and coming up with a clever way to try to retrieve it. However, when she leans over to try to get the cap, she accidentally knock her mother into the bathtub. Funny for the kids with more water squirting around, and sweet for the adults as we can see that Lisa's heart is in the right place. Helping with actions in the store, and all the transitions are the two mannequins - Luciana Mayer, and Hugo Mullaney. They get and keep the energy going through the transitions, and also have some super fun interactions with Corduroy.

The show plays at the Children's Theatre Company through April 2. It is recommended for children 4 and up, but is also a very welcoming space for kids of all ages. My little friend was nervous about the experience but once we got in the theatre and he saw the stage, he couldn't take his eyes off of it. At the same time, knowing that we could watch the show from a quiet room, or from the lobby took pressure off the situation as well. It is a very accommodating space, and the show is an absolute comic joyride!

Photos: Glen Stubbe Photography