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| Micah Jondel DeShazer, Tony Latham, and Rudy Ramirez Photo by Tim Trumble |
Click here for more information on this production that runs through October 15th.
"Norton Juster's classic children's novel "The Phantom Tollbooth" is filled with imaginative characters and locations. The sense of wonder and fantasy in the book also proves to offer a perfect opportunity for the artists at Childsplay, both on and off stage, to display their vast creative abilities in this charming, amusing and thoughtful adventure tale....centers on young and bored Milo, who thinks that learning is a waste of time. When a phantom tollbooth appears in his room one afternoon he gets in his toy car and drives through the tollbooth's gate and sets off on a world of discovery. ...
This abridged theatrical version of Juster's book drops numerous characters and locales but the streamlined adaptation, which runs just over 60 minutes, works well for the stage and is a good length for young audience members as an introduction to the theatre. ...Under Dwayne Hartford's fun and upbeat direction, the entire cast excel at playing the various imaginative characters in the story. Rudy Ramirez is appropriately childlike, grounded and bored yet inquisitive as Milo, while Kate Haas and Debra K. Stevens are sublime in several parts..Micah Jondel DeShazer makes a very sturdy, lovable and loyal watchdog, and Tony Latham is a hoot as the Humbug. Rebecca Akins' costume, mask, and puppet designs are sumptuous and add a colorful, magical sense to the entire production..... a fun theatrical endeavor full of inspiration and imagination. ..never loses sight of Juster's important message that the importance of learning and the ability to face your obstacles head on and learn from your mistakes can turn a boring life into an adventure.. " -Gil Benbrook, Talkin' Broadway (click here to read the complete review)
"...The Phantom Tollbooth could not be more apt a season opener for Childsplay. Incorporating themes that praise the importance of education and the ability to face problems with lessons learned is only half of it. How certain things in life that should never be taken for granted, like the appreciation of sounds, the beauty of words, and the fun of having an active mind that can solve puzzles, is the other half. Performed by a cast of five, but with characters that could fill the stage from side to side, Milo’s tale is told at a brisk sixty minutes. It engages from the moment the unengaged young boy arrives home after yet another boring day at school. According to Milo (Rudy Ramirez), learning is the greatest waste of time of all. But things are about to change. ...this sixty minute plus adventure performed with no intermission is a generally faithful adaptation of Juster’s novel, incorporating most of the characters and inventive wordplay from the book that Milo encounters on his journey, with just the mildest of tweaking required for the stage. But that’s just the groundwork....Milo may be real, but those characters he meets along the way..are mostly puppets, wonderfully designed by Rebecca Akins and voiced and operated by the four supporting cast members dressed in black, Kate Haas, Tony Latham, Debra K. Stevens and Micah Jondel DeShazer.
...Milo’s story is practically tailor-made for the themes and mission that Childsplay aims to achieve. The imagination and wonder of childhood is there in Milo’s escapade. ..." -David Appleford, Valley Screen and Stage (click here to read the complete review)
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