If there are two things most children can relate to, they are bedtime stories and playing make-believe. Both of these pastimes are brought to life in front of the audience’s eyes as part of the Phoenix Theatre for Children’s production of The Story of Babar, the Little Elephant, making the story relatable and entertaining for audience members of all ages.
The set used for Babar is both simple and elegant, bringing the feeling of high-class hominess. Cleverly, the set incorporates both elephants and jungle-like trees. These are incorporated so cleverly, in fact, that it took me several minutes of staring at the backdrop to finally notice what made it so special—the symmetric elephant faces. The set and costumes of the show emphasize the time period of the story—the 1930s—and make the audience feel as though they are sitting in the living room of the house with the characters.
Babar opens at the end of a dinner party. The adult characters—Francois, Adele, Jean, and Cecile—begin visiting, while Pierre, the son of Francois and Adele, is supposed to be going to bed. Jean and Cecile tell of the story they created to tell their own children, which fascinates Pierre, who is eavesdropping on the staircase. Pierre wants to know this story of the orphaned baby elephant who escapes to Paris and Jean thinks this would be a good time to work on the story. Using household items, stuffed animals, and clothes from the hat rack, the five characters allow the story to unfold. Pierre plays the role of Babar, while the adults act out all the other characters. It is, quite literally, a bedtime story come to life.
Starring as Pierre is Adam Crawford, an eleven-year-old of Dublin. He is clearly enjoying himself on the stage and is simply wonderful as the boy-playing-elephant. The four adults are also played by Columbus residents. Francois is played by Dwayne Blackaller of Valleyview, Adele is played by Whitney Thomas Eads of Gahanna, Jean is played by Ted Amore of German Village, and Cecile is played by Ginny Cipolla of Dublin. All four adults also bring a child-like quality and entertainment to the show. They remind the audience clearly of grownups reliving their childhoods by playing with a child. The cast as a whole has a great energy and are not afraid to laugh and have a good time telling the story. It is impossible to watch this show and not laugh along with the antics on stage.
I highly recommend this show, especially for any family with children that enjoy hearing stories. The humor in Babar is entertaining for audience members of all ages and the story engaging to watch.
The Story of Babar, the Little Elephant will be playing in Studio One of the Riffe Center (77 S. High St.) through January 31. Show times are Fridays at 7:30 pm and Saturdays and Sundays at both 1:00 pm and 2:30 pm. Tickets can be purchased at the Ohio Theatre Ticket Office (39 E. State St.), all Ticketmaster outlets, and online at Ticketmaster.com. To purchase tickets by phone, please call 614-469-0939 or 800-745-3000. The Riffe Center Ticket Office will be open two hours before each performance. Babar is recommended for children four years and older. It has a running time of fifty-five minutes.
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