Frankie and I saw Carousel Theatre‘s Elephant and Piggie: We Are in a Play twice this week. On Thursday I tagged along as a chaperone with her preschool, and then we went to today’s special dress up performance with two good friends and an Auntie Holly.
The play’s script is adapted by Mo Willems himself, author of the unsanely popular kids’ books, with music by Deborah Wicks La Puma. It’s directed by Kayla Dunbar and stars Kellie Ogmundson as Piggie and Tom Pickett as Gerald the elephant.
Personally I loved the play for the same reason I love the books. It’s all about how awesome friendship is and finding imaginative ways of solving problems. The performances are as sweet and playful as the stories, and the set and props are super fun too. But who cares what a grown up thinks?!…
“It was great,” says Frankie. “I loved the singing. I like how the stage looks. I liked the part where Elephant said ‘Something is watching us!’ That was pretty funny.”
Incidentally, her most memorable characters were neither Piggie nor Gerald, but the briefly cameoed Delivery Dog and the three singing Squi-relles, played by Synthia Yusuf, Lindsay Warnock and Merewyn Comeau.
Frankie suggests that anyone who attends the play familiarizes themselves with the character of “the Pigeon,” and knows beforehand that (spolier!) “When (Piggie) plays the trumpet she’s actually trying to say ‘Thank you’ in elephant.”
And here’s a hot tip: if you’re going with a small person who may perhaps be sitting behind a very tall person, snag a booster seat from the lobby on your way in while supplies last!
“I give it two thumbs up!” says Frankie enthusiastically as she flashes the hang loose sign. “Can we see it again please daddy?”
Bravo Elephant and Piggie!
The play runs at The Waterfront Theatre on Granville Island until March 31st.
