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The perils of appeasement
"If You Give a Mouse a Cookie' at the Arden
Dan Rottenberg
Call it Good Dog Carl meets Martin and Lewis: A boy left home alone attempts to appease a friendly but persistent mouse with a cookie, only to discover that one small kindness leads to ever greater requests ("Could you read me a story, huh?") until the insatiable rodent has wrecked the kid's elaborate oversized kitchen. Jody Davidson's adaptation of Laura Numeroff's story is a nonstop delight for all ages, thanks above all to director Whit MacLaughlin's inspired choreography and the hyperkinetic gymnastics of the multitalented Steve Pacek as the mouse. David Raphaely does a suitable slow burn as the boy-cum-straight man for Pacek's antics. The sight gags include an ingenious use of packing tape and a full-length mirror routine reminiscent of the Marx Brothers in Duck Soup.
Beneath the hilarity lurks a useful lesson for kids: Animals, unlike people, are educable only up to a point. And for adults: When it comes to going the extra mile for a children's production, the Arden remains in a class by itself.♦
To read a response, click here.
Beneath the hilarity lurks a useful lesson for kids: Animals, unlike people, are educable only up to a point. And for adults: When it comes to going the extra mile for a children's production, the Arden remains in a class by itself.♦
To read a response, click here.
What, When, Where
If You Give a Mouse a Cookie. Adapted by Jody Davidson from the story by Laura Numeroff; directed by Whit MacLaughlin. Through Jun 27, 2010 at Arden Theatre’s Arcadia Stage, 40 N. Second St. (215) 922-1122 or www.ardentheatre.org.
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