If you’re looking for a whimsical, well-done show to serve as a toddler’s introduction to theater, The Beatrix Potter Holiday Tea Party at Chicago Children’s Theatre is a bewhiskered, bewitching collection of Potter’s classic tales that will charm the adults and keep the little ones engaged before they’re set loose in the lobby for cookies, juice and a cast meet-and-greet–all in under an hour.
This eighth edition of the party features The Tale of Mrs. Tittlemouse, The Tale of Two Bad Mice, The Tailor of Gloucester and The Tale of Peter Rabbit. These are briskly told by two engaging performers (Lily Emerson and Felix Mayes) who move from one steamer-trunk set to the next and bring to life a series of Grace Needlman puppets that evoke a Victorian playroom. Charlie Malave (who wrote the original music with Ray Rehberg) ably accompanies the tales on guitar, cello, toy piano and banjo while sometimes joining in on the storytelling.
From party-crashing toads and a clever cat tailor who hoards mice in a cupboard to the rapscallion produce pilfering Peter Rabbit, there are plenty of anthropomorphized animals to hold the kids’ attention. There’s even a brief bit of audience interaction, but most of that is saved for the after-party filled with VIPs (very important puppets).
The Beatrix Potter Holiday Tea Party runs through December 31 at Chicago Children’s Theatre.
For a full roundup of reviews of this show, visit Theatre in Chicago.
Photo by Charles Osgood
