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A CurtainUp Review
Captain Louie
My schedule, and the two six-year-olds I wanted to take to see Captain Louie prevented me from seeing this musical adaptation of The Trip by Ezra Jack Keats until what turned out to be the final weekend of its very brief run at the Little Shubert.
And so, what was intended as a review turns out to be an obituary. Keats is one of the most widely known children's book authors and illustrator. His original pictures, created from a mixture of thick watercolors and collage, are recognizable to millions of children and adults alike. It seemed a natural for a book by him to become a family musical. But, as like a Disney animated movie becoming a book, something becomes lost in the transition. As we watch The Little Mermaid for the animation; we read Ezra Jack Keats for the pictures.
The show created by Stephen Schwartz and Anthony Stein had a previous run at the smaller (and more appropriate) York Theatre. It's a heartfelt musical with a cast of talented kids, teens and tweens but the thin plot is not an improvement on the original book and did not sustain the hoped-for longer run at the much larger Little Schubert. As Louie has to adjust to a new neighborhood, a diorama he has made of his old neighborhood turns into a wild fantasy adventure of a visit to his old street and friends.
Louie, played sweetly by Douglas Fabian, has a pure singing voice, and so did the rest of the cast. The ten songs, many accompanied by fun, simple choreography (including one tap-dancing number), made for a lovely afternoon activity for me and a pair of six-year-olds.
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Captain Louie
Music and Lyrics by Stephen Schwartz Book by Anthony Stein, based upon The Trip by Ezra Jack Keats Directed by Meridee Stein Choreography by Joshua Bergasse Set Design: by Jeff Subik, based on the illustrations of Ezra Jack Keats Lighting Design by Scott Davis Costume Design by Elizabeth Flauto, based on the illustrations of Ezra Jack Keats Sound Design by Shannon Slaton Running time, 1 hour The Little Schubert Theatre, 422 West 42nd Street Tickets. $45 -- $29.50 Opened October 31, 2005; Closed November 13, 2005 Seen by Amanda Cooper November 12th Directed by Cast: Set Design: Costume Design: Lighting Design: Sound Design: Running time: . From Tickets: Reviewed by Elyse Sommer based on performance |
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