Wednesday, January 9, 2002
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Wednesday, January 9, 2002 |
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Atlanta theaters offer shows for children By MICHAEL
BOYLAN
Both the Alliance Theatre Company and The Center for Puppetry Arts are opening new shows for children to kick off the new year. "Pinocchio 3.5," a modern retelling of the classic tale, will be performed at Alliance Theatre, while The Center for Puppetry Arts presents "Rainforest Adventures." "Pinnochio 3.5" is the story of Gill Bates, a lonely computer designer, who builds a robot named Pinnochio to keep him company. Much of the story remains the same with a few small exceptions. Monstro the whale has been replaced by a giant metal recycler, and Pinnochio's growing nose has been replaced with antennae, red flashing lights and buzzers. The play is set on a giant computer screen and the costumes are done in Japanase "anime" style. The play was written by Eric Coble, a staff writer for "Footlight Parade," heard weekly on classical music stations, and is an occasional contributor to NPR. Rosemary Newcott, artistic director of Theatre for Youth, directs the show. "As we journey along with Pinnochio on his quest to become a real boy, we wonder what and who is real or unreal in this cyber world," remarked Newcott. "Do we control machines or do they control us? Finally, we learn that true actions, motivated by true emotions, are always real." "Pinnochio 3.5" will be presented Saturdays, Jan. 12 and 19 at 2:30 p.m., Sundays, Jan. 13, 20 and 27 at 2:30 and 5 p.m. Saturdays, Jan. 26 and Feb. 2 at 2:30 and 7 p.m. and Sunday, Feb. 3 at 2:30 p.m. Tickets are $12.50 for children and $15 for adults. Phone the Woodruff Arts Center Box Office at 404-733-5000 for tickets or visit the theater on the Web at www.alliancetheatre.org. "Rainforest Adventures" gives audiences a peek into the day-to-day life of a rainforest. Each animal and plant, announced by a voice-over narrator, appears against the backdrop of a lush paradise. A giant magnifying glass swings in from offstage and details the evolution of tadpoles and butterflies and the like. Other animals that take part in the show are manatees, monkeys, eels, bats and toucans. "Rainforest Adventures" evolved from the 1992 show "Canopy," which was presented at Fernbank Museum of Natural History as a complement to the exhibit "Tropical Rainforests: A Disappearing Treasure." All of the scenes from "Canopy" are still in the show, but 10 new scenes have been added and there are many new puppets as well. Show times for "Rainforest Adventures" are Jan. 10-Feb. 10: Tuesday-Friday at 10 a.m. and 11:30 a.m., Saturdays at 10 a.m., noon and 2 p.m. and Sunday at noon and 2 p.m. Performance times Feb. 12-March 17 are Tuesday-Friday at 10 a.m. and 11:30 a.m., Saturday at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m. Tickets are $10 for ages 2 and older and include admission to the show, a create-a-puppet workshop and the museum. Children ages 5 and up will get the chance to participate in the create-a-puppet workshop and create a talking toucan hand puppet. Phone 404-873-3391.
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