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Regional Reviews: Phoenix Schoolhouse Rock Live!
Also see Gil's review of The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Diety
The songs of "Schoolhouse Rock" were written by a group of songwriters, including Lynn Ahrens, who would go on to write the lyrics for several Broadway shows. But Schoolhouse Rock Live! isn't just a series of the songs from the TV version performed live; there is a story to give the musical journey some weight. The story follows Tom, a teacher, who is nervous about his first day on the job. He tries to relax by watching TV and when he discovers that "Schoolhouse Rock" episodes are airing, characters emerge to show him how to use the lessons from the TV shorts to help educate his students. What follows is a succession of over a dozen songs, starting with ones on verbs and nouns, and then building upon those principles of grammar to also include math, history, science and social studies. Director Anthony Runfola puts a modern spin on these classic 1970s and '80s songs by including updated references to "selfies" and texting language like "lol" and "omg" in the brief dialogue scenes around the musical numbers. "Interplanet Janet," the song about the solar system, has also been updated with an added line to state that Pluto is no longer considered a planet. Musical director Alan Ruch has also wisely updated the arrangements to bring a modern, pop/rock feel to the musical numbers. Energetic, fun and varied choreography from Molly Lajoie combines nicely with Runfola's creative use of the entire space to stage the many energetic numbers. The combination of the video game inspired set design by Holly Windingstad, Tim Monson's rock concert style lighting and the clever use of projections from Limitrophe Films make this production really shine. Also, D. Daniel Hollingshead's costumes are bright, colorful and effective and make the actors stand out from the more subtle, muted shades of the set design. The projections are continually varied and creative and include words of various sizes projected on white boards held by the cast during "Unpack Your Adjectives" and "Interjections" as well as the use of an x-ray style cartoon of a beating heart during "Do the Circulation." Monson's lighting design also uses shadows to great effect, including a simple yet clear way of showing the large silhouettes of hands and fingers counting during the multiplication sequence. All in all, there is very effective and clever use of all of the production elements. The cast is energetic, engaging and charming, with each member getting equal stage time along with several solo moments to show off their musical skills. Rudy Ramirez is boyish and appropriately nervous as Tom the teacher, with Eric Boudreau, Molly Robinson and Keilani Akagi as the three people who help Tom get over his jitters. All four have the vocal chops to make the songs soar, but they also have a great connection with the audience, especially the younger audience members, to ensure the lessons they are singing are clear and understandable. Boudreau, especially, has nice comic abilities that he uses effectively throughout the show. Schoolhouse Rock Live! shows that learning can be fun with catchy songs that are memorable. Childsplay's production is imaginative, with superb creative elements and an energetic cast. Short on narrative, but with such hit "Schoolhouse Rock" songs as "Just a Bill," "Conjunction Junction," "Interjections" and "A Noun Is a Person, Place or Thing," this show will really make any person who was schooled on "Schoolhouse Rock" smile. Recommended for children ages six and up, it will teach younger children a thing or two about many topics and will most likely be a refresher course for the adults in the audience as well. While this production runs into May at the Tempe Center for the Arts, this cast and production will also be touring in the 2014/2015 season, currently scheduled to play 46 venues across 27 states. The tour information is still being finalized, but it will begin in September and run through the end of March or early April of 2015. Tour information can be found at www.childsplayaz.org. Schoolhouse Rock at Childsplay runs through May 25th, 2014, at the Tempe Center for the Arts, 700 W. Rio Salado Parkway in Tempe, with performances on Saturdays at 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. and Sundays at 1 p.m. Tickets start at $12 and are on sale at www.childsplayaz.org or at the Tempe Center for the Arts Box Office (480) 350-2822 (ext. 0) Book by Scott Ferguson, George Keating and Kyle Hall Cast:
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