“Pete The Cat”

**** Children’s Theater! I think it is a terrific training ground, and I am so very happy that more and more is becoming available. The companies that specialize in bringing quality theater for little ones need to be supported and I will do all I can to keep the movement growing. The newest company that I have been made aware of is Next Page Productions. They are making their home  at North Shore Center in Skokie and at present, are doing “Pete the Cat” on the stage known as the North Theatre ( the smaller of the two and the one that was home to Northlight for many years).

As you know ( if you a regular reader), my grandkids have all aged up, and so in order to bring you an opinion from the eyes of a younger person, I have always found youngsters to join me for openings and add their feelings and thoughts. Of late it has been Anna and her brother Jack, but they could not make this opening, so I contacted another who did some great reviews in the past. His move to the South Suburbs and his hockey involvement allowed for TJ to meet me in Skokie ( along with his mom) for the production of “Pete the Cat”.

FYI- Pete the Cat is a series of books written by Eric Litwin, Kimberly Dean, and James Dean ( not to be confused with the actor ). Mr. Dean is also the artist who draws the covers. The first of these books was “Pete the Cat: I love My White Shoes”. Not having any knowledge of this character ( I guess there was also a TV series), I had to just sit back, relax and see exactly where this story would go.

The 55 minute story begins with us watching a rock band, led by who else but Pete the Cat, doing their thing and having a ball. It seems however, that Pete needs to be sent away for a period of time, making him an “inside cat” better known as a pet. The story then takes us into the new home that he will have to learn to live with and his potential adjustment. Of course the family must adjust as well and as it turns out the little girl has an allergy to cats, so Pete must sleep in the little boy’s room.

During this chage of lifestyle we go to school, drive a VW bus to places overseas, become art students, hide under a couch, and many other things and all of the characters are handled by the cast of five performers who sing and dance as well as change characters very quickly. Unlike other children’s theaters, they did not pass out a program or have a barcode to check, so at this point, I cannot tell you who is who or who directed or even adapted to the stage.

I can tell you that the show was fund and engaged a full house of youngsters. This ia a young peoples crowd ( I think the age for this show is probably 2/3 to 6/7) so it might have been a little boring for TJ. I know that after the show, the cast members did stay on the stage to answer questions which I feel is a great way to teach kids about make-believe. The Marriott Theatre for Children has been doing this for years and my grandkids loved that part as much as the actual shows.

Here are T.J.’s views ( by the way, he gave it 4.5 stars out of five)

I really like how the actors used their imagination to create a fun and lively show! The costumes and set was so creative with having everything being made out of wood and on wheels to able to maximize the theater space/ stage. The music got all ages from 1 years old to 9 year olds dancing! The characters transitioned from one character to another seamlessly. I love reading Pete the Cat books and I loved seeing this play! 

“Pete The Cat” will continue Thru – Dec 11th with performances as follows: