I am happy as a little cloud after seeing the Children’s Theatre Company’s production of “The Very Hungry Caterpillar and Other Eric Carle Favorites” at the Mermaid Theatre of Novia Scotia at the NYU Skirball Theater.
This enchanting show was really three shows in one: “Little Cloud,” “The Mixed-Up Chameleon,” and “The Very Hungry Caterpillar.” It brought my favorite story books to life before my very own little eyes. A nice narrator read me the stories just as I know and love them and there was an added soundtrack to accompany the story. The music expressed just how the stories made me feel. And there were amazingly vivid settings and characters that “glowed” in the dark as the books came to life. The show was filled with colorful and captivating puppetry. It was magical! And best of all there was a no shhhh-ing policy so us little ones could read and play along!
Little Cloud floated above the houses and grass high up in the sky. He slowly drifted away from his cloud family and his imagination took over as he journeyed through the sky. I was enchanted watching him turn into a sheep, shark, tree, and my personal favorite, an airplane! Zoom! And in the end he happily reunited with his family and they made one giant, happy cloud.
In “The Mixed-Up Chameleon” I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me but the chameleon just kept changing colors. I watched as the bored chameleon went on a daring adventure to the zoo. As he wished he could be like each of the animals, the giant animals appeared above him and then different parts of the animals floated down and became part of the very colorful chameleon. My favorite was when he got an elephant trunk. But he got all mixed up! But in the end he was happiest just being himself!
In “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” I watched a tiny and very hungry caterpillar eat his way through lots of produce and each day of the week. He ate everything from apples and oranges to ice cream and a green leaf. It made me hungry calling out all the larger than life-size fruit and food I saw appear on stage as the caterpillar chewed right through them and crawled onto the next. He became a big, fat caterpillar before my very eyes. Then, he built a cocoon right on stage and for the finale turned into a beautiful butterfly!
I loved the show and was captivated from start to finish. And Mommy and Daddy loved watching my enchantment as the stories came to life. After the show, there was time for Q&A and we got all our questions answered. I couldn’t believe only two puppeteers made this possible. And I went home with the metamorphosis mobile I made before the show. From beginning to end, it was a very happy story! We all appreciated the important lessons learned and had a fantastic family time.
