School night fever

I remember sitting in front of the TV, clad in pajamas with feet, eating bowls of Lucky Charms and watching School House Rock. Created by an ad executive who was concerned his son was having trouble with his multiplication tables, the three-minute educational vignettes combined silly cartoons and catchy tunes with lessons in math, English and history. What more could a 6-year-old want? While the Reno Riverfront Youth Theatre’s production of School House Rock Live! Jr. didn’t have the goofy animation, it did have lots of hyped-up kids who brought to life many of the songs I remember from my Lucky Charms days.

The musical started as a teacher named Tom got ready for his first day of teaching. Tom, played by director Hal Dubiel (a last minute change due to a sickness in the cast), was feeling a little high-strung and turned on the TV to relax. Out popped the kids from School House Rock in order to remind him just how fun and easy learning could be. The songs started off with a little tune about nouns. Eleven kids dressed in bright shirts and shoes danced around the stage, telling the audience about people, places and things. Although some of the kids seemed a little nervous about being on stage, they gave off lots of energy as a group when they sang. The next song (and the first from the School House Rock series that started in 1973) was a lesson in how “three is a magical number.” This catchy tune elicited audience participation, and the kids seemed more comfortable in front of the packed theater.

All the songs were memorable and fun, but there were a few standouts. Actress Weston Spann led the musical number “Suffern’ Till Suffrage,” a song about women’s rights and the 19th Amendment. I was impressed with the power of her voice. She was at ease on the stage and her spunky attitude came across as she sang. Another highlight was Diane Foster singing “The Tale of Mr. Morton.” I could tell Foster was having fun as she instructed the audience on the formation of sentences, using Mr. Morton and his activities as examples of subjects and predicates.

Foster and Spann had strong voices that reached throughout the theater. However, some of the other children were difficult to hear over the music and other background noises. This, coupled with the fact that the songs are actually trickily worded (try singing “Rufus Xavier Sarsaparilla” in a loud confident voice), resulted in few songs that were intelligible. Additionally, the transitions between songs seemed awkward and confusing at the performance I attended. This was likely due to the recent change in cast, as it was announced at the beginning of the play that the director would be taking over the teacher’s role.

Overall, this was a highly entertaining musical with plenty of singing and dancing. There was lots of enthusiasm, fun and talent throughout the entire production. Kids of all ages will enjoy it, even if they are too young to understand the songs about adverbs and adjectives. For those of you who grew up with School House Rock, now would be a good time to relive a portion of your childhood. Grab a bowl of Coco Puffs, see if you can find a pair of footsie pajamas, then head to the Riverfront Theatre for a fun show and a little ditty about "Interplanet Janet."