Kids won’t be bored by these performances, and neither will the grownups.
As Twin Cities cultural institutions roll out their fall seasons, it’s clear they are aiming to please adults as well as kids with their family performances. Shows by James Sewell Ballet and St. Paul Chamber Orchestra are simply excerpts from the same material performed for adults, with fun tweaks for young audience members.
Film festivals that were once the realm of off-beat adult entertainment now routinely screen films geared to kids. Youth Performance Company’s spoof on “Dracula” is designed to crack up college students as well as kids; Gustafer Yellowgold claims parent as well as preschooler fans; and productions like the one-woman “Seed Folks” at Children’s Theatre Company speak to the emotions of adults as well as children.
These are shows that don’t talk down to anyone — true family entertainment.
Childish Films
Sept. 20: Childish Films kicks off its monthly film series for kids with eight shorts from the New York International Children’s Film Festival, including the meticulously animated music video, “How Can You Swallow So Much Sleep?” by Anna Ginsburg about a boy who flies through space to visit the moon as it exists in his dreams. At seven minutes, the longest film is Will Rose’s “Goat Herder and His Lots and Lots and Lots of Goats,” a gentle and amusing animation about a herder who leads his flock up and down the purple-hued mountains of Spain. Before the projector rolls, Duke Otherwise from Madison, Wis., will perform from his debut children’s album, “Creepy Crawly Love.” The downtown Minneapolis library screens a new line-up of quirky films for preschoolers and elementary age kids on the third Saturday of every month. Head back for Halloween flicks in October, African stories in November and “Wind in the Willows” winter tales in December. 10:30 a.m.; Minneapolis Central Library, 300 Nicollet Mall; free; 952-847-8100, supporthclib.org.
James Sewell Ballet Family Performance
Oct. 25: James Sewell Ballet presents its annual Halloween Parade along with excerpts from “Guy Noir: The Ballet,” a murder-mystery inspired by the radio detective created by Garrison Keillor, whose recorded narration accompanies the dance. The hour-long show is one of three family shows throughout the year performed with house lights partially up and where audience members may come and go as they choose. Kids are encouraged to wear costumes. JSB is also staging the full-length Guy Noir on two weekends in Minneapolis before touring it through Minnesota. 11 a.m.; Goodale Theater, The Cowles Center, 528 Hennepin Ave., Mpls.; $12; 612-206-3636 or thecowlescenter.org.
Ballet Tuesdays
Oct. 14: St. Paul Ballet kicks off the fifth season of “Ballet Tuesdays,” a free, lunch-hour performance in the Landmark Center atrium on the second Tuesday of the month. It gives a taste of ballet with audience participation and a chance to meet dancers afterwards. Bag lunches welcome or buy a treat at Anita’s Cafe. Also Nov. 11 and Dec. 9; Noon-1 p.m.; Landmark Center, 75 W. Fifth St., St. Paul; free; 651-292-3225 or landmarkcenter.org.
The Ukulele Alley Cartoon ExtravaGONZO
Sept. 13: A talking ukulele puppet named Luke the Uke hosts this matinee screening of retro cartoons every month at the Bryant Lake Bowl. He’s assisted by DJ Mr. Gosh and joined every month by a guest band, including The Yellow-Bellied Sapsuckers this Saturday and Daddy Squeeze on Oct. 18. It’s quirky, fun and family friendly, about what you’d expect from a theater with a bowling alley next door. And you can order lunch from the cafe during the show. Noon-1 p.m.; Bryant Lake Bowl Theater, 810 W. Lake Street, Mpls.; $8/$5 kids age 12 and under; 612-825â ‘8949 or bryantlakebowl.com.
St. Paul Chamber Orchestra Family Concert
Nov. 15: Beethoven wrote his sixth symphony, the Pastoral Symphony, to evoke a walk in the country, complete with a gurgling stream, bird calls imitated by flute and oboe and even a thunder storm with lightning. The St. Paul Chamber Orchestra performs excerpts for its family concert with guest Austrian conductor Hans Graf. The hour-long narrated performances include costume characters and are a perfect introduction to classical music for families with elementary school age children. (An SPCO brass ensemble plays the family “xplorchestra! on Sept. 27 and woodwinds perform “Start the Music!” on Nov. 22 and 29). 9:30 a.m. and 11 a.m.; Ordway Center for the Performing Arts, 345 Washington St., St. Paul; free; 651-291-1144 or thespco.org.
Laurie Berkner
Oct. 26: Thanks to a regular gig on Nickelodeon, Laurie Berkner became a household name a few years ago, at least in households that tuned into preschool television programming. More than a decade after selling her first CD of indie rock for kids, the former preschool teacher can still get a packed audience clamoring for “We Are the Dinosaurs.” In October, Berkner releases a new CD of fan favorites, “The Ultimate Laurie Berkner Band Collection,” and her off-Broadway musical “The Amazing Adventures of Harvey and the Princess” is opening in November in her hometown of New York City. She’ll playing a solo concert in St. Louis Park. 11:15 a.m.; Beth El Synagogue, St. Louis Park, 5225 Barry Street W.; $100-$18; 952-920-3512 or besyn.org/laurieberkner.
Gustafer Yellowgold
Oct. 25: New York musician Morgan Taylor brings his blend of all-age pop tunes and pop art to the Cedar on a cross-country tour promoting “Gustafer Yellowgold’s Wisdom Tooth of Wisdom.” The new DVD/CD is the sixth installment in a series about a friendly alien from the sun who landed in the Minnesota woods. Minneapolis musicians John Munson, Ken Chastain and Tom Scott join Taylor on stage for the full-band concert that combines hand-drawn animations with gentle pop tunes that trace their psychedelic sound to the now-defunct Minneapolis band Trip Shakespeare. The New York Times calls Gustafer Yellowgold “a cross between Yellow Submarine and Dr. Seuess.” 11 a.m.; The Cedar, 416 Cedar Ave. S., Mpls.; $12 advance/$15 day of show (ages 2 and younger free); 612-338-2674 or thecedar.org
Busytown the Musical
Tuesday-Oct. 26: Huckle Cat and Lowly Worm kick off the Children’s Theatre Company season in a vaudeville version of Richard Scary’s picture book “What Do People Do All Day?” Comic writer Kevin Kling and composer Michael Koerner teamed up to create “Busytown the Musical,” and though they’re both from the Twin Cities, this is the first time the adaptation has been performed here. Chicago-based director Sean Graney steers this busy, busy production with clever verse, catchy songs, quirky characters and a one-man band in CTC music director Victor Zupanc. Performance times vary. Children’s Theatre Company; 2400 Third Ave. S., Mpls.; $58-$10; 612-874-0400 or childrenstheatre.org.
Dracula! A Silly Musical Romp
Oct. 10-Nov. 1: The mostly teen performers at Youth Performance Company sing their way through a spoof of “Dracula” that includes a cute vampire who wants to be alive again, a young plucky heroine mortal named Sarah, three doo-wopping vampire sisters and campy cameos from horror favorites, Frankenstein’s bride and Igor. Written by Milo Enders. Perfect for tweens and teens and suitable for age seven and older. Performance times vary. Youth Performance Company, Howard Conn Fine Arts Center (at Plymouth Congregational Church), 1900 Nicollet Ave., Mpls.; $15-12; 612-623-9080 or youthperformanceco.org.
James and the Giant Peach
Sept. 19-Oct. 19: First performed in the United Kingdom more than a decade ago, David Wood’s adaptation of Roald Dahl’s “James and the Giant Peach” starts at the end of the book and lets the characters retell their own story. James and Miss Spider and Old-Green-Grasshopper and his other insect friends have escaped nasty Aunt Spiker and Aunt Sponge and sailed their giant peach over the Atlantic Ocean. The audience, in the role of tourists, sit back to watch the epic journey in live action, puppetry and storytelling. 7 p.m Fridays; 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. Saturdays; 2 and 4:30 p.m. most Sundays, plus weekday matinees; Stages Theatre Company, 1111 Mainstreet, Hopkins; $16-$12; 952-979-1111 or stagestheatre.org.
Handmade Worlds: A Festival of Puppet Theatre
Sept. 25-Sept. 27: Two Minneapolis puppet theaters present three days of workshops and a dozen public performances by puppet artists from around the country. Margo McCreary opens the festival with the family friendly “On-time Circus” on the Midtown Greenway. Festival co-sponsor Open Eye Figure Theater hosts “Strumply Peter,” a toy opera with live music inspired by the cautionary poems that 19th century German physician Heinrich Hoffman composed to entertain his children. While some shows explore adult themes, many are perfect for the whole family, including Kansas City puppeteer Paul Mesner’s version of the Italian tradition of Pulcinella and the bilingual “Skeletons in the Closet” by Minneapolis couple Julie and Gustavo Boada. In The Heart Of The Beast Puppet And Mask Theatre, 1500 E. Lake St., Mpls. and Open Eye Figure Theatre, 506 E. 24th St., Mpls.; tickets $15-$7 at brownpapertickets.com; 612-874-6338 or handmadeworlds.org.
Zen Ties
Oct. 10-Nov. 2: This original premiere at Stages is a follow up to last year’s adaptation of “Zen Shorts,” both based on picture books by Caldecott honoree Jon J. Muth. The talking panda named Stillwater is back, dispensing Buddhist wisdom, and this time with his haiku-spouting nephew Koo. Michael is worried about a spelling bee, and with Stillwater’s gentle orchestration, gets unexpected help from a crabby, librarian neighbor. Performance times vary. Stages Theatre, 1111 Mainstreet, Hopkins; $16-$12; 952-979-1111 or stagestheatre.org.
Rainbow Crow
Oct. 17-Nov. 2: Why is the crow black? SteppingStone Theatre opens with local playwright Rhianna Yazzie’s adaptation of a Native American story from a Pennsylvania Lenape tribe about how the crow lost his sweet voice and brilliant colors when he brought the gift of fire to save the other animals. The musical was commissioned and first performed by the St. Paul youth theater for the 2008-09 season and explores the question of what makes a hero and how much can one sacrifice for the good of the community. Performance times vary. SteppingStone Theatre, 55 Victoria Street N., St. Paul; $16-$12; 651-225-9265 or steppingstonetheatre.org.
